Section: Movies

Shoojit Sircar Interview: I Can’t Tell You How Relieved I Am That No One Will Be Bothering Me With Box Office Updates Every Hour

BY On

Back in the 1950s, a travelling puppeteer family in Uttar Pradesh created two female glove puppets who were always at loggerheads with each other: Gulabo, the overworked wife and Sitabo, the smart-mouthed mistress of the same man.

During festival time, these puppeteers would travel city to city with Gulabo Sitabo, two colourful dolls made out of papier-mâché, to perform shows that would touch upon the mundanity of daily life, laced with bursts of local humour and musical interludes.

By the time the 90s’ rolled around, the traditional folk art form started losing its significance, owing mainly to general indifference and the reluctance of younger generations to carry the baton forward. Today it is facing extinction. “I thought why not use the name as a sort of a tribute and somehow spotlight a puppet art that is dying,” Shoojit Sircar tells me from Kolkata over a phone conversation, explaining the title of his upcoming film, Gulabo Sitabo.

In a normal world, the film – Sircar’s sixth directorial outing (Shoebite, his second film still remains unreleased) –  would have already been released in the theatres two months ago. But in a world plagued by a virus, Gulabo Sitabo is both a victim and a survivor of the pandemic. Its release on Amazon Prime Video this Friday makes it the first Hindi film that has circumvented the restrictions imposed by the lockdown instead of indefinitely waiting for theatres to reopen.

This is a busy week for the director. There’s of course Gulabo Sitabo’s release to look forward to. But this is also the week he resumes post-production on his next film, Sardar Udham Singh, the biopic starring Vicky Kaushal slated to release next year.

Over a decade in the Hindi film industry, Sircar has acquired a steady reputation and a distinct lexicon as a filmmaker. His films eschew grand set-pieces in favour of observation, aren’t as plot-driven as they are character-driven, and are suffused with the kind of humanity that feels inspired from Basu Chatterjee, the veteran director who passed away last week.

Also Read: Basu Chatterjee’s Heroines Showed Us Autonomy

Sircar is perhaps a rare filmmaker who reserves a certain affection for the elderly when the world around him seems besotted with stories of youth – caregiving has been a constant theme in Vicky Donor (2012), Piku (2015), and October (2017). And older actresses like Dolly Ahluwalia, Kamlesh Gill, Gitanjali Rao, and now Farrukh Jaffar crop up as integral characters in his films – a representation of a world fast facing neglect.

There’s a clash of the old and the young in Gulabo Sitabo too. The film sees the coming together of two acting powerhouses: Ayushmann Khuranna, the actor that Sircar launched in Vicky Donor, and Amitabh Bachchan who gave his most memorable performance in recent times in Sircar’s Piku.

Set in Lucknow, it revolves around Mirza Sheikh (Bachchan) and Baankey Sodhi (Khurrana), an odd couple at war with each other. In that sense, Gulabo Sitabo is also a reunion film: Sircar has once again teamed up with writer and frequent collaborator Juhi Chaturvedi, cinematographer Avik Mukhopadhyay, composer Shantanu Moitra (Sircar goes out of his way to rave about the film’s background score), and editor Chandrashekhar Prajapati.

I caught up with the director to talk about making a film with two stars, his fascination with older actors, and deciding to have veteran actor Farrukh Jaffar’s name first in the film’s credit slate. Edited excerpts from an interview:

 What is Gulabo Sitabo about?

I would say the movie is about a world. It’s about the world of Mirza and Baankey and several other characters – what exactly they want from each other and how they cope with getting or not getting it from one another. Basically, the film chronicles how they go about their everyday life in this haveli. In the film, I present this specific world and place the camera in the middle of the courtyard so that we can watch these characters.

This is the fourth film Juhi Chaturvedi has written for you. How does the collaboration help you in envisioning your job as a director?

The first and foremost thing between a writer and a director is the idea – whether they are on the same page or not. Fortunately, whatever ideas we have bounced at each other have always clicked. As a director, the sensibilities with which you make a film definitely needs to come out in the script. And there is harmony in that – Juhi understands and gives me that in the scripts and the characters. Between us, the process for every film is the same. For instance, I work with a bound script. I am not someone who does too many improvisations on set. Most of my improvisations are done while the scripting process and the narrations are on. So, having a ready script is a big advantage. As a director that allows me to know the film through and through. Then my job is to just go on set and execute it.

The pairing of Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurranna is a definite highlight of Gulabo Sitabo. Was there ever a worry about their stardom affecting the ordinariness of the characters that they were playing in the film?

No, I was not worried about it at all. There’s a reason why they have been cast. I trust them as actors. Of course, significant effort has gone into creating their mannerisms and looks. Mr Bachchan looks like a character picked straight out of Old Lucknow. Same goes for Ayushmann – he looks the part of an ordinary Lucknow boy. Actually, most of the hard work of capturing the realism of two characters from a lower economic background is already done by the various departments, be it sound, production design, costumes, makeup, music, or the cinematography.

Location, whether it is in Piku, October, or Yahaan plays an integral role in your films, doubling up as a silent protagonist. Why was Lucknow the choice for this film?

The plot of the film called for an old city because the way it is set, a city that feels like it is still stuck in a certain time period would complement it. Our options were either Old Delhi or Lucknow. Initially, we set the film in Delhi but changed it to Lucknow during the writing process because Juhi is from there and knows the city well. The film is completely shot in the old parts of Lucknow – its people, food and places like Lal Darwaza, Mahmudabad, Chota Imambara, Hasanganj, the Chowk area all find their way in the film.

Most of your films, especially Piku and October, revolve around the confrontations between the old and the young and ultimately finding a common ground between these two disparate worlds. Gulabo Sitabo looks like it treads similar territory. What fascinates you about the older generation?

Actually, I am old. I think that’s the reason. When I was doing Piku, I remember everyone in my direction team kept telling me that I had all the qualities of Bhaskor Banerjee (laughs). I guess I’m drawn to how they look at life, laugh at life, and smile at life in their unique way. I don’t think you can write that generation off from the movies. They’re living with us. For example, in Vicky Donor, my favourite character was Dolly Di (Dolly Ahluwalia) who played Vicky’s mother. Somewhere I think I relate with older people much more than the young and that helps me in handling and understanding them.

I noticed that Farrukh Jaffar’s (Swades, Umrao Jaan, Peepli Live) name comes first in the film’s credit slate. Even before Amitabh Bachchan.

I have to tell you, Farrukh Jaffar is quite a revelation in the film. She is almost touching 90 so when we met her, I didn’t know if she would be able to perform because I was thinking of her health conditions. But her daughter told me that when she heard that Shoojit Sircar would be coming to meet her and talk about a role, she was jumping at home saying that “Kuch bhi kara lo mujhse. I am ready.” She is the oldest and most experienced actor in the entire cast. Of course, her name had to be the first one.

As a director, how does the film’s release on a streaming platform affect you?

I can’t tell you how relieved I am that no one will be bothering me with box office updates every hour. As an artist, I am very happy that I have created something. My job is to create it to the best of my capabilities and then let it go. I am excited that my film’s shelf life is going to be long and I don’t have to be worried about whether it will be out of the theatres after a few weeks. For me, this is like any other film release. We’re leaving no stone unturned to ensure that Gulabo Sitabo feels like a proper cinema premiere.

WATCH: Kangana Ranaut Lashes Out At Bollywood For Not Speaking Up On Issues At Home; Attacks Minorities

BY Aparajitha Balu On

Following the tragic death of George Floyd, people, celebrities, politicians, and influencers from across the world have been standing in solidarity with the African American community and the Black Lives Matter movement. While protests broke out in various parts of the United States, people across the world have used their social media platforms to convey their messages of solidarity and have been using the hashtag ‘Black Lives Matter’. Twitter had also given the hashtag an emoji to accompany it.

While the hashtag was created to promote conversations about racial inequity and the deaths of innocent black men and women at the hands of law enforcement in the United States, the sudden widespread use of the hashtag has prompted criticism from some social media users.

Celebrities and influencers, especially those from India, have come under scrutiny for their use of the Black Lives Matter hashtag. One of the criticisms is that those using the hashtag are doing it for social media traction and not because they support the movement in any authentic way.

The hypocrisy of the celebrities has also been called out, especially in India where the same celebrities endorse fairness creams and skin-brightening products for years perpetrating the myth that being dark is being ugly. The sudden outpouring of sympathy while endorsing these views has been called out as problematic.

Agreeing and adding her point to the backlash is actress Kangana Ranaut. In an interview with Lucy Hockings of the BBC, she accused the Hindi film industry of going with the trend and not actually having any real opinion about this. She questioned the celebrities’ ‘selective compassion’ by asking why they were mum during the horrific lynching of Sadhus in Palghar, Maharashtra, a native issue, but only chose to stand up for something away from home.

She added that instead of using this momentum and shedding light on issues happening in the country, celebrities are merely commercialising the moment. “We want to involve ourselves in a fully-developed nation’s political issues, but we have so much to do here at our underdeveloped nation, which we aren’t paying attention to,” said Kangana in the video chat.

She also mentioned that she’s the only actor in the industry to not engage in million-dollar deals with fairness cream companies. “Maybe I’m the exception. Not maybe, certainly I’m the exception,” says Kangana.

A few days back, a thread on Twitter regarding Bollywood/Pakistani stars who have never endorsed a skin lightening product was started. To this, ‘Sacred Games’ star Kubbra Sait replied with Kangana’s and her name. Several others also weighed in and supported the star.

Apart from this, tweeps also added in the names of actors like Prabhas, Sai Pallavi, Ranbir Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Konkona Sen Sharma, and Nandita Das. Pakistani actors were also mentioned.

Kangana also came under fire for her bizarre answer to a question on celebrities doing a lot for disadvantaged people during the pandemic. Her answer was entirely unrelated to the question. Instead Kangana spoke about appeasing minorities and how Hinduism is the only religion where there’s no conversion.

Also Read: The Fascinating Fascism of Kangana Ranaut

‘Gulabo Sitabo’ Is My Original Work And I Am Proud Of It: Juhi Chaturvedi On Plagiarism Controversy

BY Silverscreen India Staff On

Gulabo Sitabo is the newest Hindi film to have been plagued by a copyright controversy. The allegations are against the writer of the film Juhi Chaturvedi. Akira Agarwal, son of writer Rajeev Agarwal, has alleged that the script for Gulabo Sitabo has been copied from his story 16, Mohandas Lane.

The story in question was submitted as an entry to Cinestaan India’s Storyteller Script Contest that is promoted by The Screenwriter’s Association, a trade union of screenwriters and lyricists who work for films, TV, and digital media in India. The jury of the contest was chaired by Anjum Rajabali, Juhi Chaturvedi, and two other jurists. The final eight scripts did not include Akira’s story and reportedly came to the jurists on 24 October 2018.

Following the plagiarism claim, the team behind Gulabo Sitabo have reached out to media outlets and have shared statements refuting these claims. In a press release, PR company Universal Communications, has clarified the stance of writer Juhi Chaturvedi and has also cited instances to dispute Akira’s claims.

The release says that Juhi had approached Amitabh Bachchan with a story of a crooked old man, who resides in Lucknow, in 2017. “The senior actor liked her narration and asked her to develop the story further. The story and concept were registered by Juhi in May 2018. It is further clarified that Juhi never received the script in contention, a claim that is backed by the Screenwriters Association and Anjum Rajabali. The SWA ruled in favour of Juhi on 29 May 2020,” it said.

The release includes a statement by writer Juhi Chaturvedi: “My conscience is clear and so are the facts in this matter. Gulabo Sitabo is my original work and I am proud of it. I also must clarify the speculations around my conduct as a jury member for Cinestaan’s contest. I had no access to the so-called infringed script at any point in time, as alleged. This fact has been independently confirmed by Cinestaan as well. Even the SWA, who has looked at this dispute in May 2020, and decided in my favour. I speak now to request the press and public not to be disillusioned by false accusations, which are for publicity only. Acts of harassment, defamatory comments, and leaking confidential notices by the accusers only show their lack of faith in their own case. I stand by my truth.”

Anjum Rajabali, Jury Chairman, Cinestaan Script Contest, said, “It has come to our notice that there are some reports in the mainstream as well as social media about allegations that Juhi Chaturvedi, the screenwriter of the soon-to-be-released film, Gulabo Sitabo has plagiarised the script, 16, Mohandas Lane, written by late Rajeev Aggarwal. While it is true that ’16, Mohandas Lane’ was submitted to the first edition of the Cinestaan India’s Storytellers Script Contest of which Juhi Chaturvedi was one of the jury members, we want to clarify that she had absolutely no access to this particular script.”

He further clarifies, “The process of reading, assessing, screening and judging involved three clear stages. While 16, Mohandas Lane made it to the top 20, it did not enter the final list of eight scripts which were sent to the jury. The jury, including Juhi, had absolutely no access to any script except for the eight which were sent to them. So, it is totally incorrect to assume that since Juhi Chaturvedi was on the contest’s jury she had received the said script. There is clear documentation, including a trail of e-mails from myself to each jury member, which bears out the above facts unambiguously. Moreover, there is a video recording of me done by Cinestaan in 2018, which clearly outlines the above protocols.”

Producer Ronnie Lahiri of Rising Sun Films has also added his support to his team member with a strongly worded statement against the allegations. He said, “Releasing the notice to the press, harassing Juhi and the Gulabo Sitabo producers on social media, seems to be a deliberate attempt to malign Juhi and damage the film. At this time, when we have taken the bold decision to release the film on OTT, these baseless allegations only create unnecessary controversy. We request the press to stand by us and condemn the behavior of these allegers and their lawyer for resorting to such tactics only for press, limelight and ulterior motives”

Watch the trailer of Gulabo Sitabo here:

Karthik Subbaraj Announces His Next, ‘Chiyaan 60’; Dhruv Vikram To Play A Pivotal Role

BY Aparajitha Balu On

Director-producer Karthik Subbaraj who is gearing up for the release of his Jagame Thandhiram, has announced his next on Monday evening. The Pizza director will be associating with Vikram, in a first, for the actor’s 60th film tentatively titled Chiyaan 60. Dhruv Vikram, the son of the actor will also be playing an important role in the film joining with his father for the first time. While reports of the same had surfaced earlier, the official confirmation is out now.

The film will be bankrolled by Lalit Kumar’s Seven Screen Studio which is also commissioning the actor’s on going Cobra. The film announcement came from the production house’s Twitter handle.

According to a report on DC, the film is touted to be a gangster thriller, with Vikram essaying an aging don and Dhruv, the younger version of the actor. Karthik is believed to have completed his script and is all set to go on floors once the coronavirus-imposed lockdown ends.

Composer Anirudh Ravichander has also been roped in to compose for the film, marking his first association with both the Vikrams.

Meanwhile, Karthik Subbaraj is awaiting the release of his Jagame Thandhiram starring Dhanush and Aishwarya Lekshmi post-lockdown. A source privy to the developments informed Silverscreen that some of the key technicians have been together at the production house enabling them to work on the film despite the lockdown.

The film that was to release on May 1, has now been postponed indefinitely. Owing to this, the makers had put out a poster on the same day for the several fans that were disappointed.

On Monday morning, Karthik Subbaraj also released the teaser of his third production venture, Penguin/PenQueen, a bilingual starring Keerthy Suresh in the lead.

Read: Keerthy Suresh Starrer ‘Penguin’ Will Send A Chill Up Your Spine; Teaser Out Now

Watch the teaser here.

Vikram is shooting for Ajay Gnanamuthu‘s Cobra which has completed almost 75% of shoot and Mani Ratnam‘s Ponniyin Selvan which will be shot in two parts. Recently, the actor had also slammed rumours spread by the news and gossip online portal, Pinkvilla. The website stated that the actor would soon be quitting the film industry to focus on his son Dhruv Vikram‘s film career.

Read: Vikram Refutes Rumours About Quitting Acting; His PRO Says Pinkvilla Story Fabricated

WATCH: Amitabh Bachchan’s Transformation For ‘Gulabo Sitabo’

BY Silverscreen India Staff On

Shoojit Sircar’s quirky dramedy Gulabo Sitabo’s trailer was released recently and features a hilarious battle of wits between Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana. The film will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on June 12.

One aspect that stood in the teaser was Amitabh Bachchan’s different look and demeanor in the film. With a long beard, old school spectacles, a head scarf and a prosthetically-pronounced nose, Bachchan looks nearly unrecognisable, and his signature baritone too is replaced with a Lucknowi twang.

Shoojit Sircar and his creative team have transformed the ‘actor into a cantankerous old man for the film: combining strenuous hours of prosthetics, make-up and long hours of shoot in the scorching sun.’

Watch the whole process here:

Gulabo Sitabo is a unique slice-of-life dramedy where Mirza and Baankey, much like Tom and Jerry are unique and unmatched, friend and foe, naughty and smart, little and large – all things required to produce chaos.

A Rising Sun Films production, Gulabo Sitabo is directed by Shoojit Sircar, written by Juhi Chaturvedi and produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar. The movie will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on June 12.

Keerthy Suresh Starrer ‘Penguin’ Will Send A Chill Up Your Spine; Teaser Out Now

BY Aparajitha Balu On

The teaser of Keerthy Suresh’s Penguin/PenQueen is out now. Helmed by debut director Eashvar Karthic, the film will directly hit the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video on June 19, 2020. The ‘woman-centric’ film is being bankrolled by Passion Studios and presented by filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj’s Stone Bench Films which had previously produced Meyaadha Maan and Mercury. The film marks the third production of Stone Bench Films.

The teaser begins pleasantly with beautiful visuals of a lake and a waterfall followed by the protagonist (Keerthy) playing with her son, Ajay one guesses from the teaser, inside a glasshouse. We then find the little boy, in a yellow raincoat, walking away with someone holding a yellow umbrella and Keerthy yelling out his name. What follows is a series of shots where we see Keerthy in despair holding a bunch of ‘missing’ posters, finding a blood-stained yellow raincoat near a lake, a shot of a bouquet with maggots and flies, and a mysterious individual with a mask, in front of an angel’s sculpture, chopping what seems like… the little boy.

Four top actresses across industries took to Twitter to release the teaser. Trisha Krishnan in Tamil, Samantha Akkineni in Telugu, Manju Warrier in Malayalam, and Taapsee Pannu for the English version.

On May 11, the Tamil Nadu government allowed the resumption of post-production activities such as editing, dubbing, VFX (Visual Effects), CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), DI (Digital Intermediary), BGM score, Sound Effects, Foley and Mixing with a limited number of crew members and sanitised workplaces, post-lockdown. Many films like Shankar’s Indian 2 starring Kamal, MS Anandan’s Chakra starring Vishal, M Saravanan’s Raangi starring Trisha, Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Master starring Vijay, Nelson Dilipkumar’s Doctor starring Sivakarthikeyan had commenced work.

Among these films was Keerthy Suresh’s Penguin/PenQueen which commenced with dubbing. In a list given out by the Film Employees’ Federation of South India (FEFSI), Penguin/PenQueen was listed as a ‘telefilm’. This led to speculation that the film would directly hit the OTT platform skipping a theatrical release. Although, no official announcement was made back then.

The cast of Penguin/PenQueen reportedly includes Madhampatty Rangaraj who was the lead in Mehandi Circus and Linga from Sindhubaadh. Karthik Palani has handled the camera, Anil Krish on edit, art by Sakthee Venkatraj M, and costumes are by Pallavi Singh. While Santhosh Narayanan has composed music, Thomas Kurian was in charge of the sound design.

Penguin that was to hit the screens in early 2020 will now directly premiere on the streaming service. It will stream in Tamil and Telugu on the platform along with a dubbed Malayalam version.

The trailer of the film will drop on June 11.

Last year, Stone Bench Films unveiled the lead’s first look from the film. A silhouette of Keerthy’s character, who appears to be pregnant is seen and in the backdrop are mountains.

penguin-penqueen-keerthy-suresh-first-look

Recently, another look of the actor from the film was released by the makers; it features a bruised Keerthy.

WhatsApp Image 2020-06-08 at 12.10.43

Watch the teaser of Penguin/PenQueen here.

Harbhajan Singh, Losliya And Arjun’s ‘Friendship’ Seems Eerie; First Look Poster And Motion Poster Out Now

BY Aparajitha Balu On

The first look and motion poster of Harbhajan Singh–Arjun Sarja starrer Friendship is out. The film directed by John Paul Raj and Sham Surya is being produced by John Paul Raj and Stalin’s Seantoa Studio in association with Cinemaass Studio. The film marks the second production of Seantoa Studio.

We’re shown a blackboard filled with chemical equations which suddenly starts to advance towards us. Gradually, the name of the production studio, ‘Seantoa Studio’, is revealed followed by a ruled sheet of paper comprising motivational quotes and the name of the second banner, ‘Cinemaass Studio’. A small door shuts after, taking us into a public library with power fluctuation where the images of Losliya, Arjun, and Harbhajan Singh, all clad in black, appear. In the end, we find Harbhajan bowling to someone which then cuts to a tub of popcorn spilling over, forming the words ‘Coming Soon’.

The motion poster screams anything but ‘Friendship’ with an eerie music score and colour tone.

friendship-losliya-arjun-harbhajan-singh-sathish-poster-first-look-1

Harbhajan took to Twitter to put out both the posters.

The campus-based story reportedly deals with a group of friends. It is also said to have elements like sports and politics in it.

Recently, a report on the Times Of India mentioned that Harbhajan would be saying the role of a Punjab-based student pursuing mechanical engineering at a college in Coimbatore. “His character is that of someone who had discontinued studies for a few years after completing school,” mentioned the report.

Popular Big Boss Tamil contestant Losliya Mariyanesan will play the female lead in the movie, marking her debut. Apart from the lead cast, Sathish, J Sathish Kumar, Harbhajan’s Tamil teacher and manager Saravanan Pandiyan and several others have landed significant roles. Santha Kumar C is handling cinematography, DM Udhayakumar is handling music, Deepak S Dwaraknath is on the edit, and Mahendran on art. PS Raj is penning the dialogues, Vimal Rambo is choreographing stunt and Sham Surya is doubling up as the dance choreographer.

Also read, Sruthi Hariharan Files Police Complaint Against Arjun Sarja

Friendship wrapped up the first schedule in March before the nationwide lockdown was announced and will continue filming once the situation improves.

The multilingual will release in Tamil, Hindi, and Telugu.

Watch the motion poster of Friendship here:

Teaser Of Keerthy Suresh Starrer ‘Penguin’ To Drop On June 8

BY Aparajitha Balu On

Keerthy Suresh’s Penguin/PenQueen will directly hit the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video on June 19, 2020. The teaser of the film will drop on Monday, June 8. Penguin that was to hit the screens in early 2020 will now directly premiere on the streaming service.

Helmed by debut director Eashvar Karthic, the ‘woman-centric’ film is being bankrolled by Passion Studios and presented by filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj’s Stone Bench Films which had previously produced Meyaadha Maan and Mercury. The film marks the third production of Stone Bench Films.

On May 11, the TamilNadu government allowed the resumption of post-production activities such as editing, dubbing, VFX (Visual Effects), CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), DI (Digital Intermediary), BGM score, Sound Effects, Foley and Mixing with a limited number of crew members and sanitised workplaces. Many films like Shankar’s Indian 2 starring Kamal, MS Anandan’s Chakra starring Vishal, M Saravanan’s Raangi starring Trisha, Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Master starring Vijay, Nelson Dilipkumar’s Doctor starring Sivakarthikeyan had commenced work.

Among these films was Keerthy Suresh’s Penguin/PenQueen which commenced with dubbing. In a list given out by the Film Employees’ Federation of South India (FEFSI), Penguin/PenQueen was listed as a ‘telefilm’. This led to speculation that the film would directly hit the OTT platform skipping a theatrical release. Although, no official announcement was made back then.

The cast of Penguin/PenQueen reportedly includes Madhampatty Rangaraj who was the lead in Mehandi Circus and Linga from Sindhubaadh. Karthik Palani has handled the camera, Anil Krish on edit, art by Sakthee Venkatraj M, and costumes are by Pallavi Singh. While Santhosh Narayanan has composed music, Thomas Kurian was in charge of the sound design.

The film will stream in Tamil and Telugu on the platform along with a dubbed Malayalam version.

Last year, Stone Bench Films unveiled the lead’s first look from the film. A silhouette of Keerthy’s character, who appears to be pregnant is seen and in the backdrop are mountains.

penguin-penqueen-keerthy-suresh-first-look

Vishal Starrer ‘Chakra’ Has One Week Of Shoot Left; Teaser To Drop Soon

BY Aparajitha Balu On

The makers of Vishal–Shraddha Srinath starrer Chakra have announced that the film’s teaser will drop shortly. The team is also reportedly left only with a week’s shoot and will complete the work once the lockdown is lifted. Helmed by debutant MS Anandan, a former associate of director Ezhil, the film is being bankrolled by Vishal’s Vishal Film Factory. He reportedly plays an army officer in the film while Shraddha will be seen as a cop. Regina Cassandra has also landed a significant role in the film.

The film’s dubbing work began in March but came to a halt midway due to the coronavirus pandemic which caused the temporary suspension of all film-related activity. Only recently, the team commenced with editing and other post-production activities after permission was granted by the Tamil Nadu government. The team was seen working with a limited crew donning masks.

The film reportedly deals with Vishal’s search for his father’s missing Param Vir Chakra set in the backdrop of fraudulent practices occurring in the online business. It is touted to be a technological thriller.

Speaking about the artists of the film, Anandan said, “Every character has a backstory and substantial role in the film. When I narrated the story to Vishal, he immediately agreed to do the story while also agreeing to produce it under his home banner. He even told me that I needn’t alter any of the characters written in the story.”

He added, “After a lot of confusion, I decided to rope in Shraddha who is known for taking up unique roles. Regina was also brought on board in the same way.”

Chakra Movie Stills Starring Vishal, Shraddha Srinath

Chakra Movie Stills Starring Vishal, Shraddha Srinath

The film also stars Robo Shankar, KR Vijaya, Manobala, and Srushti Dange in important roles. Chakra will have cinematography by Balasubramaniem, music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, editing done by Shameer Muhammed and S Kannan on art. Anl Arasu will choreograph stunts with Pallavi Singh on costumes. Madhan Karky will pen lyrics for the songs.

The film shot in Chennai and Coimbatore was to hit screens on May 1st but will now release post-lockdown.

Meanwhile, Vishal also has his directorial debut Thupparivaalan 2 starring himself, whose first look poster was recently unveiled, in the pipeline. Recently, he was mired in a controversy, sparring with director Mysskin over the film. The director had also lashed out against the actor during a recent press interaction in Chennai.

Read: Mysskin Lashes Out Against Vishal Over ‘Thupparivaalan 2’; Says This Is Just The Beginning Of A War

The actor has also been distributing ration, food, and essential items through his ‘Makkal Nala Iyakkam’ and ‘Devi Arakattalai’ to those in crisis across Tamil Nadu. The actor has reportedly supported about 5000 people including trans women, daily wagers of the film industry, ‘Nadigar Sangam’ actors, and health workers through this.

Makers Of Madhavan And Shraddha Srinath Starrer ‘Maara’ On Film’s Status

BY Aparajitha Balu On

On Friday, the makers of actor Madhavan‘s upcoming film Maara put out a statement revealing the current status of the film. According to the statement, Maara’s shoot was completed before the nationwide lockdown was implemented. The makers are set to commence with post-production on the film soon.

The statement also added that the team is placing the safety of the crew ahead of everything else and that they are strictly adhering to the rules laid down by the government. The film is being helmed by debutant Dhilip Kumar who had earlier directed a couple of ad films and the 2017 short film Kalki (now streaming on Netflix) and bankrolled by Prateek Chakravorty and Shruti Nallappa under the Pramod Films banner.

Pramod Films took to Twitter to put out the statement.

Maara is the official Tamil remake of Dulquer Salmaan and Parvathy Thiruvothu‘s 2015 Malayalam hit Charlie helmed by Martin Prakkat. The romantic-drama dealt with a graphic artist Tessa who goes in search of a wacky carefree Charlie after she finds his incomplete sketchbook at the rental she resides in. Charlie saw great numbers at the box office and received great appreciation from critics.

Featuring alongside Madhavan is Shraddha Srinath and Adhe Kangal fame Sshivada, the former associating with Madhavan for the second time after their 2015 hit Vikram Vedha. Apart from them, standup comic Alexander Babu is also featuring in an important role. The makers would reportedly reveal the rest of the cast in the following days.

On the technical front, Unto The Dusk fame Karthik Muthukumar and Thegidi fame Dinesh Krishnan have handled the cinematography, Trance fame Ajayan Chalissery has handled the production design, Bhuvan Srinivasan is on the edit and Thaman on the music. Thamarai has penned the lyrics and Bipin Ragupathy has co-written the story of Maara. While Eka Lakhani has designed costumes for Maddy and Shraddha, Remya Suresh has taken care of costumes for the rest of the cast.

Recently, Madhavan had congratulated Dulquer for the announcement of his new film Hey Sinamika helmed by dance choreographer Brinda Gopal. To this, Dulquer retorted by thanking the actor and stating that he was waiting for Maddy’s directorial debut Rocketry as well as Maara. Madhavan in turn responded to the tweet saying he would be delighted if he could match at least half of Dulquer’s top-notch performance.

Maara began filming in October 2019 and will reportedly release post-lockdown.

Meanwhile, Madhavan will also feature in his directorial debut Rocketry and Hemanth Madhukar‘s Nishabdham/Silence. Recently, rumours that Nishabdham would hit Amazon Prime Video, directly were rubbished by the makers of the film.

Read: Makers Of Anushka-Madhavan Starrer ‘Nishabdham’ Issue Statement Clarifying Rumours On OTT Release

Shraddha Srinath will next feature in a slew of Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films. She has MS Anandan‘s Chakra, Ravikanth Perepu’s Krishna And His Leela, KS Nandeesh’s Godhra, Anup Bhandari’s Phantom, and Rishab Shetty’s Rudraprayaga.

Karuppankaatu Valasu Trailer Starring Ebenezer Devaraj, Neelima Esai

Movie: Karuppankaatu Valasu
Cast: Ebenezer Devaraj, Neelima Esai, George Vijay Nelson, Maari Chelladurai, Aria, Gowri Shankar, Jithesh Tony
Director: Selvendran
DOP: Shravan Saravanan
Editor : Tamil Kumaran
Banner: Crew21 Entertainment
Music : Adithyha – Soorya
Lyrics : S.Gnanakaravel
Makeup : K.Chandru
Costumes : Nithin
Pro : Sathish
Lab : Gemini Color lab
Colorist : Manikandan Paulraj
Audiographer : Sugaventhan
VFX : Ramachandran.R – Prasanna venkatesh
Line Producer : Naveen Prabhu
Executive Producer : Ebenezer Devaraj
Creative Promotions : Meesaya Murrukku

Vikramaditya Motwane’s Andolan Films And Josy Joseph’s Confluence Media Acquire Filming Rights To Former Tihar Jailer’s Tell-All Book

BY Silverscreen India Staff On

Black Warrant: Confessions of a Former Tihar Jailer written by retired jailer Sunil Gupta along with journalist Sunetra Choudhury has been making waves for months now. The tell-all account of the prison warden where some of the most high profile prisoners of India are lodged was also in the news for Gupta’s stirring interviews, where he said he cried when Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar.

Gupta’s story, which touched many who watched his interviews, will soon make it to our screens.

“After an intense bidding war the film/scripted series rights have been jointly acquired by Andolan Films — the production company run by director Vikramaditya Motwane, showrunner of Nextflix’s first Indian original Sacred Games – and Confluence Media the platform agnostic media startup founded by award-winning writer-journalist Josy Joesph,” an official statement read.

Sacred Games was also an adaptation of an eponymous 2006 book by author Vikram Chandra.

Basu Chatterjee’s Heroines Showed Us Autonomy. They Occupied Space, Public And Private, For Work And Leisure

BY On

I am a literature graduate. I studied to be a Professor. When I was working on my MPhil (2016-18), I was living on Delhi University’s campus in a flat that I shared with two seniors. In between coursework, chores, and a part-time job, MPhil gave me ample time to daydream.

I would be engrossed in my ruminations; about the life I would lead soon as I started teaching. I would take up a small independent place on campus and walk or bicycle to my college. I would wear sarees to class, put my hair in a loose braid, wear a little kohl in my eyes, and small hoops for earrings. I would buy white flowers, Rajnigandhas for myself. Make tea, and watch pink sunsets from my balcony every day. I would take a simple and loyal man, as a partner, working in a 9-to-5 job. In winters we’d squat under the sun in Lodhi Gardens; in summer, we’d watch films in Connaught Place. We would have a courtship of a year, and then get married. My Facebook Display Pictures at the time were always modelled on Vidya Sinha. In fact, on the day of my MPhil interview, I wore a rose-pink cotton saree with an off-white half-sleeved blouse. The caption of the totally posed for candid picture I posted on Instagram read, “Dress for the job you want they said. I want to be a Basu Chatterjee heroine.”

Come to think of it, “a Basu Chatterjee heroine” is an oxymoron. His heroines were never the larger-than-life, pin-up dolls, objects of desire, or overachievers. Their super-human quality was their humaneness. His heroines held jobs. They studied or taught (Rajnigandha), were employed in an office space (Baaton Baaton Mein), or were homemakers (Chitchor). They were beautiful and talented, and creatively inclined. In his films, women were never seen as the heroine or just the love interest. Chatterjee introduced us to a universe of fascinating women characters who were as connected to us, as they were to each other. They were daughters – rebellious (Chameli) and gentle (Geeta), anxious mothers (Rosie), neigbours (Mrs. Mehta), friends (Anita) and coworkers (Prabha). They were women you knew, or aspired to be like. They were women you loved.

The greatest gift that middle-class cinema, of which Basu Chatterjee was a pioneer, gave to its public was the transgression/dissolution of boundaries – both generic and social. By integrating romance with social drama, the films rejected an inferior categorisation into the romantic comedy. Since marriage was a social institute, it was taken as an issue worth exploration. And by making these stories unanimously loved, he caused a major shift in the intellect of the public. These films could no longer be deemed as just women’s stories. These were everyone’s stories but since women constituted half of humanity, they were their stories too.

It seems quite simple a concept to accept now, but in the period between the 1940s to the 1970s, the nation was undergoing tremendous transformations in its political structure. The transition to a sovereign democratic republic after years of colonialisation came with its challenges of consolidation of the new nations’s ideals, values, and principles. This also meant that women’s role in the public would undergo a reconfiguration. Many culture theorists and academics, including Partha Chatterjee wrote extensively about the ideological shifts that happened during this period. In his essay, “The Nation and Its Women,” Chatterjee noted that the resolution of the nation’s newly found modernity led to greater polarisations and stricter boundaries between the public and the private. This means the public domain began to denote the “external, the material, the western and thus, typically the domain of the male”. While the interior, the private, or the home, was the space for the woman. And thus, the separation of the spheres defined by gender roles was complete. Basu Chatterjee’s cinema, much more than the films of his counterparts of the middle-cinema movement, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Bhattacharya, transgressed these boundaries; as did the women in his films.

His women showed us autonomy. They occupied space, both public and private, through, work and leisure. Who can ever forget Tina Munim and Amol Malekar, mapping across Marine Drive in Suniye Kahiye, or Vidya Sinha and Amol Palekar singing in cinema halls and parks in Rajnigandha or eating Chinese in restaurants in Jaanemann-Jaanemann? Women moved through space lyrically, poetically, and flirtatiously.

This sensitive and acute awareness of his ethos, not only translated conceptually on screen but also constituted a critical component of his creative process. His fine craft was not only extremely relevant and rooted to his times, but was also inventive. It flourished in its inclusivity, and plurality, drawing from literary and cinematic registers across the board. He was a foreseer, who brought out his masterpieces through incredible collaborations.

His debut film Sara Akash (1969) was based on Rajendra Yadav’s (a pioneer of the Nayi Kahani movement in Hindi Literature) debut novel, Ghosts Speak. The film marked the debut of the legend KK Mahajan as cinematographer (who won a National Award for the film). When he wanted to draw attention to the chaos and the cosmos bustling at the heart of the new metropolis of Mumbai, he made Piya Ka Ghar (1972), from Raja Thakur’s Marathi film Mumbaicha Jawai. For Rajnigandha (1974), he worked closely with Mannu Bhandari, one of the mothers of feminist writing in India, to depict intricately and empathetically the existential questions of a woman. It was a representation of a fragmented, disjunct-ed, and alienated female self, so profound (reminiscent of a Clarice Lispector story) that it not only won the Best Picture Filmfare that year but also remains one of the finest portrayals of a woman’s inner life on screen.

When he got to the 1980s, the scope of his exploration grew sharper, more biting, and urgent. One of the most fundamental tenets pronounced by Dr BR Ambedkar to abolish caste was social integration through marriage. In Chameli Ki Shaadi, Chatterjee punctured endogamy and caste supremacy by reducing it to a joke. In Kamla Ki Maut (1989), one of his most underrated films, he collided-head on with possibly the biggest stigma in a patriarchal society – unwed pregnancy. In a rare and powerful cultural moment, the film shows us an insight into the vicious (almost sinful) past of a now-father (of two grownup daughters) as a young man. Yet, the film never judges, because there are no gods or demons in a Basu Chatterjee universe, only humans.

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As I end this obituary to a filmmaker whose work touched me deeply, I once again go back to Rajnigandha, a film that represented a portrait of a woman as an academic; a PhD scholar grappling with issues of the head and heart. A film that was as my companion during moments of self-doubt, and if you’re an academic, you’d know there were many! In a scene Sanjay (Amol Palekar) tells Deepa (Vidya Sinha) that he doesn’t believe how she can be so self-effacing and lose confidence in herself, when she was such an accomplished woman – writing her thesis, living independently, doing her chores, travelling to another city for work, navigating the public space fearlessly, managing her emotional needs so beautifully? I am still left amazed by the delicate eye which articulated this feminine experience. Badges of immortal fame, overachievements, or external stamps of validation are not the only accomplishments, performing the everyday, the ordinary, is a quite (and resilient) accomplishment too. I guess, I always was a Basu Chatterjee heroine.

Meera Chopra vs Jr NTR Fans: Why Does Love For A Male Film Star Often Manifest Itself As Hatred For Women?

BY On

“Telugu films r best agree or die (sic)”, someone told me early last month, promptly ending that tweet with a skull emoji. All this because a mischievous friend posted a poll on Twitter asking ‘which south Indian film industry is the best?’ one bored night, and I was bantering with him. A couple of such insults followed and fizzled out. I moved on.

Meera Chopra, on the other hand, had no such luck. For saying something as inane as “I don’t know him…I am not his fan” about Telugu actor Junior NTR, she faced insults, slut shaming, rape threats, death threats and the usual pouring of abuse experienced by women who speak their mind online.

Even after tagging Jr NTR for intervention, registering police complaints and writing to the national commission for women, Meera is still receiving abusive messages — one reprimanding her for “provoking” the Telugu actor’s fans!

Quarrels between fan clubs are almost unbelievably common. Film fandom in south India is characterised by unquestioning devotion to the star and regular altercation with the ‘other’. The other here includes not just non-fans of said actor but also fans of any other actor. In the real world, SV Srinivas of Azim Premji University writes that once Chiranjeevi’s fan clubs “succeeded in driving away their rival Balakrishna fans and their allies from the Gandhinagar area.”

What we’re seeing online is the same war: For the occupation of territory. Except, this one is also violently misogynistic. And this misogyny comes in various forms.

Star fan clubs in real life tend to be an all-male affair. While there are women too these days, a vast majority of fans participating in organised fan associations tend to be men. Researchers find that they also tend to be young men between ages 16 and 30. This applies to fan clubs of female stars too, even if not proportionately so. Without female participation, these fan clubs are testosterone-charged environments seeking to assert their masculine superiority at every chance they get.

Their fundamental objection tends to be, “How dare you!” You’d expect that this would be in response to significant transgressions. But no. Fans take offense to just about anything. How dare Keerthy Suresh place her foot over Vijay’s in a choreographed picture. If you’re thinking that you can understand this because in Indian culture, keeping your feet on something is disrespectful, try this. Sobhita Dhulipala irritated Mahesh Babu fans by thanking him. Yep. Their argument was: How dare she not suffix her ‘thank you’ with ‘sir’.

It gets worse when women have an opinion. Everyone from Samantha, Sruthi Hariharan, Dhanya Rajendran to Parvathy have been at the receiving end of constant, targeted, pre-planned abuse for calling out sexism or speaking about harassment.

The stars themselves do little to rein in their abusive fans. When they do, it often comes unwillingly and late. They say things like, “I respect women” or “everyone must praise womanhood”, without actually doing anything to stop such behaviour. Only Ajith seems to have issued strongly-worded statements dissociating himself from such fans; though they don’t seem to listen to him either.

While personal attacks—typically gross overreactions to inane comments—get more visibility, the online fan environment is overall misogynistic and hostile towards women. Just recently, Ajith and Vijay fans locked themselves in an online war to trend #RemoveSareeOfActorAjith and #RemoveBraOfActorVijay.

Fans of Vijay called Ajith an ‘actress’ as if that’s the gravest insult. Ajith fans juxtaposed Vijay’s face on Vijay Sethupathy’s picture in his role as Shilpa, a transwoman, from the film Super Deluxe — to them, this insult was graver. Visuals of Ajith’s and Vijay’s faces photoshopped on to pictures of women being sexually assaulted crowded Twitter. Another fan with Ajith’s image as his DP posted an edited photo of Vijay’s to predict how he might look as he aged, describing each stage as a specific kind of cunt.

Not all fans are so blatantly misogynistic though. Some are more benevolent. Like the artist who made an illustration imagining what the team of Master, actor Vijay’s upcoming film, might be doing during the lockdown. While all the male actors of the film lounged and played games, Malavika Mohanan, a female actor in the film, was in the kitchen cooking. She protested. Vijay’s fans, of course, didn’t take that well.

While all sorts of fan wars happen online, and off, the undercurrent of sexism, misogyny, transphobia and, homophobia is unmissable. As Voltaire might say, it’s lamentable that to be a good fan, you must become the enemy of womankind.

WATCH: In A New Video Naveen Polishetty Answers That One Question He’s Asked About ‘Jathi Ratnalu’

BY Silverscreen India Staff On

Naveen Polishetty, who starred in Swaroop RSJ’s Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya, which was among the best Telugu releases of 2019, is tired of answering this question. So he’s answered it and some more in a new video. The Chhichhore actor says on his YouTube channel, “Come rewind 2020 so far, with me. Also answer to the question…When is your next Telugu movie Jathi Ratnalu, releasing Agent?”

Jathi Ratnalu starring Naveen Polishetty, Priyadarshi and Rahul Ramakrishna, is a comedy drama, written and directed by Anudeep K V. It is being produced by Mahanati director Nag Ashwin under the Swapna Cinema banner.

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire Review: Pleasures Of The Female Gaze And The Myth Of The Muse

BY On

Director: Céline Sciamma

Cast: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel

“Is that me? Is that how you see me?,” Héloïse (a luminous Adèle Haenel) quizzes Marianne (Noémie Merlant) the moment she sets her eyes on the titular portrait in Céline Sciamma’s lesbian romance, Portrait of a Lady on Fire  (now streaming on Amazon Prime).

To be fair, there’s nothing quite wrong with the painting– it’s an adequate work of replication, if slightly mechanical. But while Marianne interprets the stillness of her subject as adherence to the “rules and conventions” that influence the definition of great art, Héloïse sees the lack of life as an affront.

More importantly, the dissimilitude of the resulting portrait – an outcome of a one-sided artistic endeavour – reveals to her the disinterest that Marianne displayed in truly seeing her, favouring instead for her to be seen. “I find it sad that it isn’t close to you,” Héloïse sharply tells her before storming off. It is in this discord between the art and the artist lies Portrait of a Lady on Fire’s ambitious ask: At what point does art turn a female subject into a mere object?

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Set in 18th century France, the gorgeous, sensual period epic unfolds in the remote shores of Brittany, its central romance playing out through a flashback. Marianne is a Parisian artist who has been summoned to paint a portrait of Héloïse, a former convent girl and the younger daughter of an Aristocratic family.

Her countess mother intends to send the painting to a Milenese nobleman – if he is pleased by what he sees, they will be wedded. But there is a catch: Héloïse has no desire to get married, having registered her protest by refusing to pose for a painter who left without even getting to see her face. For Marianne, the task at hand is to then paint Héloïse on the sly without making it evident that she is looking or even observing. To Héloïse, she should appear as nothing more than a walking companion.

For most of the film’s first half, as the tension and attraction between Marianne and Héloïse simmers and threatens to rage, Sciamma employs this subterfuge as a device to underline the chief power imbalance between the observer and the observed. By keeping Héloïse in the dark about painting her, Marianne effectively also shuts her out of the process of creation – a literal embodiment of the countless mute women who have ended up being immortalised in various paintings by male artists over the decades.

What we know about these “muses” is entirely dependent on the information that the artists replicating them choose to tell us, which is to say, not much. Like in marriage, even in art, the fate of women, Sciamma argues, lies in someone else’s hands and more crucially, at the mercy of someone else’s gaze.

That Portrait of a Lady on Fire is as much concerned with uncovering the story as it is with pinpointing who it is that gets to tell that story, is revealed in tiny bursts of detail that somehow seem to contain a lifetime of information. The myth of Ovid’s “Orpheus and Eurydice” for instance, informs the tragic turn of the electric albeit forbidden romance that develops between Marianne and Héloïse.

In one scene, the three women – who include Sophie, the house help – gather around and read the fateful passage about Orpheous looking backward at his lover Eurydice despite being told not to and thus dooming her to remain in the underworld. It has long been assumed that Orpheous had looked back out of his own will, unable to control himself – an act that Marianne interprets as him making the poet’s choice, “He chooses the memory of her.”

Which is also to say, that it is him who has the power to decide whether Eurydice gets to live or die. But Héloïse raises a curious question: What if Eurydice was the one who told Orpheous to turn back? The implication being: Could she have not been the victim and commanded her own fate?

There’s another striking subplot about Sophie’s unwanted pregnancy, perhaps the film’s most brazen display of radical feminism, that is elevated from being a mere footnote and recreated into a moving record of abortion legtimised in art.

Sciamma gets playfully literate about the neglect in the scene: When Marianne flinches and looks away while Sophie’s abortionist inserts a poultice to perform the procedure, Héloïse insists that she look right back, a comment, if not a confrontation of the historical evidence of society turning a blind eye to women’s experiences.

In the film, once Héloïse is made aware of the deception, she looks back as well. She agrees to pose for Marianne’s second attempt at painting her but not as a lifeless object. “If you look at me, who do I look at?” she asks Marianne midway through their sitting, a line that echoes the film’s themes of both love and art being a product of collaboration. So even when their romance meets its end, the memory of it lingers forever – in the way Marianne looks at Héloïse, in Héloïse’s eyes (the film’s final sequence is as good a proclamation of love as it can get), and in the essence of their feelings that they preserve in their art.

For a film that deploys the subversion of gaze (Sciamma has called it “a manifesto about the female gaze”) to propel action, A Portrait of A Lady on Fire is built predominantly on the erotic pleasures of looking instead of just being looked at.

The camera complies with close-ups as stolen glances become a shorthand for the extent of passion, longing stares – illuminated by candlelight or set against the never-ending blue skies – reveal desires instead of hiding them. And as Marianne lets Héloïse hold her hand while painting her, it’s as if both women infuse life in each other.

There’s no better evidence of it than in the film’s most breathtaking scene that arrives early on. Marianne and Héloïse are seated side by side on the beach. The camera is beside Marianne as she steals glances at Héloïse, who returns the favour. They keep taking turns to stare at the other until, at last they look at each other in a mutual stare, one that reverberates with feeling, intimacy, and more importantly equality. After all, loving is an art in itself.

The Portrait Of A Lady On Fire review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.

Eeb Allay Ooo Review: A Clever, Compassionate And Timely Tale About ‘Invisible’ Urban Labour

BY On

One of the most powerful moments in Eeb Allay Ooo, Prateek Vats’ film about the monkey-repellers of New Delhi, comes right at the end. Anjani, the happy-go-lucky-ish protagonist learns that there are real risks to him, from the job, from his employers and from the people who occupy Lutyens’ Delhi – even for people like him who keep Lutyens’ Delhi functioning the way it should. Anjani comes to terms with his reality, even as life goes on around him in the government building, in the market, in his employer’s dealings with the official government machinery. Suddenly, it’s no longer the fun and games of the first one hour.

Anjani (Shardul Bharadwaj), a high school dropout (“11th pass”), arrives in New Delhi, where his brother-in-law (Shashi Bhushan) has found him a job scaring away monkeys in Raisina Hill. This is a delicate job. Monkeys are sacred, as incarnations of Hanuman, so he cannot harm them. They must be scared away with Langur sounds (the Eeb, Allay and Ooo of the title) and no more. Anjani is taught the ropes by Mahender (played by the real-life monkey repeller, Mahender Nath), but try as he might, the monkeys don’t run away from him. This leads Anjani to try out a few creative solutions to the problem, to great comic effect.

It’s hard not to draw parallels between Eeb Allay Ooo and Parasite, Bong Joon-Ho’s Korean film about class distinctions. Like the Kim family, Anjani’s sister (Nutan Sinha) and brother-in-law live in a tiny set of rooms, with barely enough space for the family’s side business of sealing masala packets. Anjani and Mahinder cannot help themselves to the snacks served at a party where they are at work, just as the jjapaguri is out of reach to Kim Chung-Sook at the Park family residence. And most importantly, just like the Kim family, Anjani needs to keep his work hidden. The sacred monkeys must disappear, but we cannot see them being hurt in any way.

But if anything, the gap between Anjani and those that occupy Central Delhi is even wider. Anjani is a contract worker (and not a government employee, as he reminds his sister), making him even less visible to the powers that be. It’s his bullying contractor Narayan who receives complaints and the right to “correct” them with Anjani.

The Kim family speak Korean, the language of their employers, and even enough English to get their feet in the Park family door. Their problem isn’t the lack of skills; it’s the lack of opportunity to use them. The protagonist of Eeb Allay Ooo on the other hand, may never have had the chance to find out what he’s missing.

Anjani’s sister points out to him that he doesn’t know how to drive, or cook, or write code, or anything that could get him any job that isn’t monkey chasing – heck, he can barely navigate an online job search himself. And as people from a village in the Hindi heartland (“internal migrants” as we’re calling them now), in the city for low-level jobs, Anjani’s families are always at the receiving end of barbs and taunts from the better off.

Whether they are the brother-in-law’s employer at an amusement park, the gynaecologist who blames the sister’s family for her anaemia or the gentleman who insists on making offerings of food to Hanuman, it’s normal, even expected to insult Anjani’s family. Parasite was about how the biggest fear of the wealthy is that the lower classes may one day infiltrate their lives and spaces. Eeb Allay Ooo is about everything the rich do to prevent that from ever happening.

Eeb Allay Ooo has powerful performances even in the smallest roles. Nitin Goel’s contractor Narayan goes from grovelling before the officials who employ him, to terrifying with his own employees, in seconds. Naina Sareen provides an excellent foil as the nurse Kumud, whose patience can only be tested so far.

For his part, Shardul Bharadwaj is eminently believable, as the young man who honestly just hates his job. But for me, the stars were the cinematography by Saumyananda Sahi and visuals of Delhi, from the government offices and monuments, to the Republic Day parade, to the shots of monkeys who have made Lutyens’ Delhi their home.

And when it’s all done with the – ah – monkey business, Eeb Allay Ooo forces you to think. As I write, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers are making their way home across the country. Eeb Allay Ooo tells us why they were in our cities in the first place, and asks why their work needs to be kept out of sight wherever they go. It’s clever and witty, but deeply compassionate too — a tremendously timely film right now.

The Eeb Allay Ooo review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.

EXCLUSIVE: No OTT Platform Has Bagged The Streaming Rights Of Arjun Das And Vinoth Kishan Starrer ‘Andhaghaaram’ Yet

BY Aparajitha Balu On

After it was announced last month that several films like Jyothika starrer Ponmagal Vandhal and Keerthy Suresh starrer Penguin/PenQueen will be hitting the Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms skipping the theatrical window, rumours about several other small and medium budget films hitting OTT directly surfaced. From Bollywood to Kollywood, rumour-mongers left no film alone.

On Sunday, an online portal announced that the long-delayed Tamil film Andhaghaaram starring Kaithi fame Arjun Das and Vidiyum Munn fame Vinoth Kishan will directly hit the OTT platform Netflix, that had reportedly bought the film’s streaming rights.

A source close to the production told Silverscreen that no streaming platform has bagged the rights of the film yet. “No decision has been made regarding the release of the film as yet. With respect to the digital partner for the film, we’re still mulling over various platforms available,” said the source.

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Helmed by debutant V Vignarajan, the thriller is being presented by director Atlee’s A For Apple Productions with Sudhan Sundaram and Jayaram’s Passion Studios producing it, in association with K Poorna Chandra’s O2 Pictures.

Andhaghaaram deals with three lives — a struggling conjurer, an unsuccessful cricketer, and a devastated psychiatrist whose paths intertwine in darkness on their search for liberation and livelihood which only leads them to a maze of uncertainty. The title translates to ‘intense darkness’.

The supernatural suspense thriller will see Pooja Ramachandran and Misha Ghoshal playing the female leads with Kumar Natarajan, Jeeva Ravi, ‘Rail’ Ravi, and Mahendra Mullath playing significant roles. Damaal Dumeel fame AM Edwin Sakay has handled cinematography, Super Deluxe fame Sathyaraj Natarajan is on the edit, Magamuni fame Rembon Balraj on art with Pradeep Kumar from Oorka The Band on music. Stunts have been choreographed by Dhilip Subbarayan.

The film’s trailer, which dropped in April, has raked in more than 1.7 million views and received appreciation from Kollywood and Bollywood film fraternity. Master director Lokesh Kanagaraj, who watched the film, raved about it on his Twitter handle.

Read: Vinoth Kishan Gives A Furious Arjun Das The Silent Treatment In The ‘Andhaghaaram’ Trailer: Out Now

Watch the trailer of Andhaghaaram here: