Section: Movies

Kaduva: Kerala HC Issues Notice to Screenwriter Jinu V Abraham Over Copyright of Malayalam Film’s Script

BY Chandhini R On

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday issued a notice to Jinu V Abraham, the screenwriter of the upcoming Malayalam film Kaduva, based on a writ petition filed by Anurag Augustus, who sought the cancellation of Jinu’s copyright on the film’s script, Augustus’s counsel Santhosh Mathew told Silverscreen India.

Kaduva stars Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role. The film is written by Jinu and directed by Shaji Kailas. The film is produced by Prithiviraj’s home banner Prithviraj Productions and Listin Stephen for Magic Frames Company.

The film has been courting controversy since 2020. Recently, Anurag had moved the Kerala High Court alleging that Jinu had been on a personal service contract while he wrote the film’s script. Anurag said that he was the first owner of the script’s copyright and pleaded to rescind the registration, which provided Jinu with the ownership of the script.

The case was being heard by a bench headed by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas.

According to a report by Live Law, Santhosh stated that Jinu and his cousin Mathew Thomas, the film’s associate director, had contacted Anurag seeking financial support to make a film with a story that revolves around the life of a planter named Kaduvakunnel Kuruvachan, a native of Pala in Kerala’s Kottayam district. Anurag had paid Jinu an advance of Rs 5 lakh out of the agreed sum of Rs 10 lakh.

The petition stated that Anurag had taken care of additional expenses while working on the script.

Anurag alleged that Mathew Thomas had agreed to direct the film with actor Suresh Gopi in the lead role. He noted that the film’s title Kaduvakunnel Kuravachan was registered with the Kerala Film Chamber and had released the teaser and arranged press conferences at his expense.

Anurag alleged that Jinu had indulged in a “foul play” by signing an agreement with a different producer to use this script and shoot the film as Kaduva. Anurag has sought the registrar of copyright to cancel Jinu’s name from the register and add his name as Kaduvakunnel Kuruvachan‘s copyright owner.

Jinu was unavailable for comments.

The next hearing of the case is yet to be scheduled.

Earlier, the makers of Kaduva were ordered by the Irinjalakuda Sub Court in Thrissur, Kerala, on April 8 to suspend the film’s production and promotions after Anurag filed a complaint against the producer.

However, dismissing the court’s order, Jinu told Silverscreen India that the court’s order was “fake news”. “There is no issue and the shooting is going smooth. We are following all the Covid-19 protocols. I am not aware of any such issue and in fact, we have announced in social media that the shooting has commenced. There is no problem with the shooting,” Jinu told Silverscreen India.

On Tuesday, Kaduva‘s shooting was halted due to surging Covid-19 cases. In a social media post, Shaji Kailas said that they were temporarily suspending the film’s shooting to show solidarity with the government’s Covid-19 prevention measures. “We will resume shooting when the situation becomes a little more comfortable. Stay safe, Stay Healthy,” he wrote.

KV Anand, Cinematographer and Filmmaker, Dies of Cardiac Arrest

BY Anusha Sundar On

KV Anand, the Tamil cinematographer, and director, died after suffering a cardiac arrest early on Friday at a private hospital in Chennai.

He was 54.

According to film industry tracker Ramesh Bala, Anand’s wife and daughter tested positive for Covid-19 about two weeks ago and have isolated themselves. He said that Anand recently tested positive for the virus and had been complaining of breathlessness. The filmmaker was admitted to the hospital where he died.

Born and educated in Chennai, Anand received his undergraduate degree in physics from DG Vaishnav College and a postgraduate degree in Visual Communications from Loyola College. Anand started his career as a photojournalist and worked as a freelancer for publications like Kalki, and India Today.

In an earlier interview with Silverscreen India, Anand had said that he was inspired by American photographer Ansel Adams’ works, and was not too fond of digital photography. “You share your work with a lot of people; there’s colour correction, post-production, and other work that goes in after shoot. It’s all instinctive,” he had said.

Anand debuted as a cinematographer in the Malayalam romantic comedy film Thenmavin Kombath in 1994, which earned him the National Film Award for Best Cinematography. In the interview with Silverscreen India, Anand had said that the film was his “best experience”. Recollecting his experience while shooting the film, he had said, “For the opening number, the director told me to take 10 bullock carts and five cans of Kodak and shoot whatever I wanted. That, for me was a huge boost.”

He went on to work as a cinematographer for over 15 films in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu.

Condoling the demise of Anand, filmmaker Shankar called him a “dear friend, wonderful cinematographer and brilliant director”. Anand had collaborated with Shankar in Mudhalvan (1999), Boys (2003), and Sivaji (2007).

In 2005, Anand made his directorial debut with Kana Kandaen starring Srikanth and Prithviraj Sukumaran. Prithiviraj, who made his Tamil debut with the film, said that Anand played an “important role” in his career.

Anand directed seven films but had never been the cinematographer for these films. Speaking about this, Anand had said in the interview that he “thinks he is a better cameraman than a director”. “I don’t want to kill it. When the cameraman starts setting up lights, I can use the time to rework my dialogues or make a scene better.”

Anand had collaborated as a director with actors like Dhanush in Anegan (2015), Jiiva in Ko (2011), and Vijay Sethupathi in Kavan (2017).

Taking to Twitter, Dhanush, and Amyra Dastur, the lead actors in Anegan, paid their respects to Anand. Dastur credited the late filmmaker as launching her in Tamil cinema and called him the “most passionate and disciplined filmmaker”.

On Friday, Anand’s mortal remains will be sent to Besant Nagar Electric Crematorium in Chennai for the final rites in accordance with Covid-19 protocols.

Anand’s death was condoled by members of the film fraternity. Actor Rajinikanth expressed his condolences.

Anand is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Kerala Govt Halts Shooting of Films and Television Serials as Covid Cases Surge

BY Namrata Ganguly On

Shooting of films and television serials in Kerala has been halted, as per a notice issued by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday, reported Manorama.

The second wave of Covid-19 that has been sweeping across the country has been setting new records daily. Thousands of people are dying due to lack of oxygen supply, hospital beds, ventilators and medicines. Kerala recorded 35,013 positive cases in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative positive cases to 15,30,390 and 5,252 deaths according to the state government data.

Theatres were shut across the country from March 2020 following a nationwide lockdown, to curb the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the Centre permitted theatres to reopen from October 2020 with 50% seating capacity, theatres in Kerala opened only in January this year.

Theatres in Kerala reopened after the state government announced a waiver of entertainment tax for cinemas from January to March and assured to reduce 50% of the fixed charges on electricity. However, many theatres were shut due to the lack of new releases. Ajagajantharam, the Malayalam action film starring Antony Varghese that was slated to release in March, postponed its release due to the lack of second shows in Kerala. According to the film’s makers, since theatres in other countries were still closed, and the number of shows in Kerala was limited, the makers decided to postpone the release date.

After India recorded a second wave of Covid-19 cases, the Kerala government on April 19 ordered all theatres and malls in the state to close by 7:30 pm and imposed night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am for  two weeks to curb the sudden spike in Covid-19 cases in the state.

Meanwhile, the release dates of a number of Malayalam films have been postponed.

Chathur Mukham, the Malayalam film starring Manju Warrier, has been withdrawn from theatres owing to surging Covid-19 cases in Kerala. Similarly, Rajisha Vijayan-starrer Kho Kho which released on April 14, was withdrawn from theatres on April 20, a day after the government’s order of shutting theatres at 7.30 pm.

[Additional inputs by Chandhini R, Anusha Sundar, and Anindita Banerjee]

Amid Rising Cases of Covid-19, Theatres Unsure of Opening Shutters Before June

BY Anindita Banerjee On

As several theatres across the country have been forced to close again amid the raging second wave of Covid-19, theatre owners say the only way to minimise losses is to keep their cinema halls shut till June.

India’s daily Covid-19 cases hit a new high on Thursday with 3,79,257 fresh cases and 3,645 deaths reported in 24 hours. With several state governments implementing weekend curfews and lockdowns, theatre owners feel that the situation will gradually return to normal from June and also hope for new releases.

Last week, the Kerala government ordered theatres and malls in the state to close by 7:30 pm and imposed night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am for two weeks. However, according to Suresh Shenoy, the owner of Shenoys Theatre in Kochi, most theatres in the state were already closed due to safety purposes and lack of new releases.

“We have been open for just three months and that was not enough to cover the expenses of even these three months, let alone the losses of last year. We were working on 50% seating capacity, it was just enough to sustain ourselves. Things were looking up. If not for this lockdown, by the second week of May our theatres would have been in a good position.”

“It is better to open up by June-end, take a risk and play whatever film than to keep theatres closed and increase losses,” he said.

In Telangana, night shows have been stopped as the state government enforced night curfew from April 20. However, theatre owners and film distributors in the state decided to shut down theatres due to the “lack of content”. This came in the wake of several Telugu films’ releases getting postponed due to surging cases of Covid-19.

Balagovind Raj, secretary of the Exhibitors Association in Hyderabad and owner of Sudarshan 35MM and Devi 70MM theatres, said that the situation will return to normal as more people get vaccinated.

“We have seen good times in the last three months. Theatres cannot run if films are not being shot. Although the government has not restricted shootings, people are scared,” he said.

Photo Credit – Balagovind Raj

According to Raj, government aid can revive the lull in their business.

“The government is yet to reduce minimum electricity charges,” he said.

Although 20 theatres are still running shows in Hyderabad, they might close from Friday, Raj said. Both his single screens are screening Vakeel Saab.

The situation in West Bengal, though, is grim.

Arijit Dutta, the owner of Priya Cinema and Bioscope chain of cinemas in West Bengal, said that he will not take the risk of keeping theatres open. “Only when some big film announces their release date, we will open a week before that,” Dutta said.

For Sunit Singh, owner of Paradise Cinema in Kolkata, opening his theatre in 2020 was difficult due to heavy expenses and lack of good releases. “There is no point in opening up theatres for one or two good films. The staff needs to be paid monthly, electricity charges will increase and with only 10-15% audience turnout, it is not at all feasible.”

Photo Credit – Balagovind Raj

Similarly in Coimbatore, Royal Theatre owner G Rathnavel also did not open his theatre’s shutters since the lockdown in 2020. “The losses are huge, but it is better to keep it shut and reduce it than to open it up and increase it due to no films,” he said.

Currently, theatres in New Delhi have been operating with 30-50% capacity while in Maharastra, they have been completely shut due to a huge rise in Covid-19 numbers. The Karnataka government also announced a complete lockdown earlier this week.

What’s New This Week: 9 Films and Shows Releasing on Streaming Platforms This Week

BY Ramya Ashok Kumar On

The Covid-19 situation in India is still grim, with infection cases and deaths peaking every day. Theatres in Tamil Nadu have shut down due to no new releases. Several films that hit theatres recently, including One and Mumbai Saga, are set to release on OTT platforms.

Among the several regional films hitting Netflix, the streaming platform also announced that the anticipated Dhanush-starrer Jagame Thandhiram will release on the platform on June 18.

On that note, here are nine films and shows that are releasing this week on streaming platforms to watch:

1. Things Heard & Seen (April 29) – Netflix
Starring Amanda Seyfried, Things Heard & Seen is about a young woman who discovers that both her husband and their new home harbour sinister secrets after they leave Manhattan for a small-town life.

2. Yasuke (April 29) – Netflix
Yasuke is a six-episode anime series created by LeSean Thomas, set in alternate fantastical Japan during the feudal era. The greatest ronin ever known, Yasuke, struggles to maintain a peaceful existence after a past life of violence. But when a local village becomes the center of social upheaval between warring daimyos, Yasuke must take up his sword and transport a mysterious child who is the target of dark forces and bloodthirsty warlords.

3. LOL – Hasse Toh Phasse (April 30) – Amazon Prime Video
LOL – Hasse Toh Phasse is the Indian edition of the International Amazon Original Series LOL, which will unite an eclectic group of comedians, including Aadar Malik, Aakash Gupta, Aditi Mittal, Ankita Shrivastav, Cyrus Broacha, Gaurav Gera, Kusha Kapila, Mallika Dua, Sunil Grover and Suresh Menon. Under the vigilant watch of hosts Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani, their sense of humor and endurance will be tested as they battle it out for six consecutive hours, to make the others in the house laugh, while maintaining a poker face themselves.

4. Out of Love Season 2 (April 30) – Disney+ Hotstar
The second season of Out of Love is set three years after Dr Meera exposes her then-husband Akarsh’s betrayal. Her life is finally back on track. But when he reappears desperate for payback, her world cracks in ways she never could have predicted.

5. The Disciple (April 30) – Netflix
The Disciple is the story of Sharad Nerulkar, who devoted his life to becoming an Indian classical music vocalist, diligently following the traditions and discipline of the old masters, his guru and his father. But as the years go by, Sharad starts to wonder whether it’s really possible to achieve the excellence he’s striving for. The Disciple revolves around Sharad’s journey of devotion, passion, and searching for the absolute in contemporary Mumbai.

6. The Mitchells vs. The Machines (April 30) – Netflix
The Mitchells vs. The Machines tells the tale of the Mitchells – the world’s weirdest family. When a robot apocalypse put the brakes on their cross-country road trip, it’s up to the Mitchells to save the human race.

7. The Mosquito Coast (April 30) – Apple TV
Adapted from the best selling novel, The Mosquito Coast is a gripping adventure and character drama series following the dangerous journey of a radical idealist and brilliant inventor, Allie Fox (Justin Theroux), who uproots his family for Mexico when they suddenly find themselves on the run from the US government.

8. Without Remorse (April 30) – Amazon Prime Video
In Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, an elite Navy SEAL uncovers an international conspiracy while seeking justice for the murder of his pregnant wife. Sr Chief John Kelly (Michael B Jordan) pursues the assassins at all costs. Joining forces with a fellow SEAL (Jodie Turner-Smith) and a shadowy CIA agent (Jamie Bell), Kelly’s mission unwittingly exposes a covert plot that threatens to engulf the US and Russia in an all-out war.

9. The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 (April 27) – Amazon Prime Video
Adapted from Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name, The Handmaid’s Tale is set in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States. Offred, one of the few fertile women known as handmaids, has to struggle to survive as a reproductive surrogate for a powerful Commander and his resentful wife.

Operation Java: Malayalam Thriller to be Remade into Hindi, Says Director Tharun Moorthy

BY Chandhini R On

Operation Java, the Malayalam thriller film that released in theatres in February, will be remade in Hindi, the film’s director Tharun Moorthy told Silverscreen India.

“The Hindi remake rights have been sold recently. The cast and crew have not been decided yet,” Tharun said.

Operation Java features Balu Varghese, Lukman, Vinayakan, Shine Tom Chacko, Irshad, Alexander Prasanth and Binu Pappu in pivotal roles. The story revolves around two unemployed B.Tech graduates Anthony George (Balu Varghese) and Vinaya Dasan (Lukman) who join the Kerala cyber cell as interns to help crack down a series of cyber crimes such as morphing, piracy, extortion and phishing. 

“The discussion is still in the early stages and I am open to directing the film if given an opportunity. The emotions and the story narrated in the film are ubiquitous and that makes the story relevant to the audience beyond language and culture barrier,” Tharun said. 

After running successfully for 75 days in the theatres, Operation Java is expected to release on the Zee5 streaming platform and Zee Keralam television.

Speaking about the genesis of the film’s idea, Tharun said that he had initially decided to make a film based on cyber crime. Soon, he chanced upon hit Malayalam film Premam‘s censor copy leak case and took inspiration from the two youngsters who solved the case in reality.

“We spent a lot of time at the cyber cell observing the activities, nature of cases and how it is being handled. We also spoke to various officials across the country to ensure authenticity in the film’s execution,” he said.

While one part of the film delves into phishing and money extortion, the sequence is set at the backdrop of a village in Tamil Nadu that is involved in such criminal activities.

“I derived the idea from incidents that took place in Jharkhand’s Jamatara, which is known as India’s phishing capital. We had planned to shoot this portion in northern India but due to some constraints we shot in Tamil Nadu. Also, the audience were easily able to connect with the idea,” Tharun said. 

The film was shot in Kochi and Tamil Nadu’s Salem and Coimbatore in a 42-day schedule. According to Tharun, the cyber cell shown in the film was a recreation of the cyber cell in Ernakulam.

“While many films have shown cyber cell as a high tech space, we wanted to create a set which exactly resembles our reference point as retaining the authenticity was our ultimate aim,” Tharun said. 

 

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A post shared by Tharun Moorthy (@tharun_moorthy)

Operation Java‘s technical crew consists of music composer Jakes Bejoy, and Nishad Yusuf as the editor. Cinematographer Faiz Siddik and Vishnu Govind and Sree Sankar of Sound Factor handled the sound department. The film was produced by V Cinemas International.

Indian 2: Director Shankar and Lyca Productions Fail to Amicably Resolve Issues

BY Anusha Sundar On

Director Shankar and Lyca Productions, the producers of Indian 2, the upcoming sequel to the hit 1996 Tamil action thriller Indian, failed to amicably resolve their issues over the film, the Madras High Court was told on Wednesday, PTI reported.

The case was being heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy.

The film, starring actor-politician Kamal Haasan in the lead role, was embroiled in legal trouble after the production house moved the Madras High Court earlier this month. Lyca Productions sought an interim injunction on Shankar from directing any other film before completing Indian 2. The move came at a time when Shankar is set to direct a Telugu film, starring Ram Charan, which was announced in February.

Refusing to grant an injunction, the court said that an order can be passed only after hearing the director’s side. Lyca Productions also accused Shankar of not completing Indian 2, despite spending Rs 180 crore from the Rs 236 crore budget. Mentioning that 80% of the film had been finished, the production company demanded that Shankar complete shooting the rest of the film. It said that it had paid Shankar Rs 14 crore out of his agreed remuneration of Rs 40 crore. Lyca Productions said that it was willing to pay the remaining Rs 26 crore to the court.

Poster of Indian 2

The court had asked for a notice to be sent to Shankar and expected a response. On April 22, Shankar’s counsel said that the filmmaker will be working on the Telugu film from May 2022. He said that Shankar will work on Indian 2 and that the film will be completed in five months, starting from June. In addition, the counsel mentioned that after the death of actor-comedian Vivekh, who was part of the cast, his portions had to be reshot. Following this, the court observed that “any order from the court would not solve the issue fully” and asked the production house and Shankar to discuss and sort out the issues amicably and had adjourned the hearing to Thursday.

On Thursday, Shankar’s counsel said that that talks held with Lyca Productions on April 24, for over two hours had failed. The counsel said that though both Shankar and Haasan were ready to give “bulk dates” after June for Indian 2’s production, Lyca Productions demanded Shankar to sign a bond agreeing that he would not take up any other project in the meantime. Since Shankar did not agree to it, the production house and the director remained at loggerheads.

Besides his upcoming Telugu film with Ram Charan, Shankar recently announced that he will be directing the Hindi remake of his hit Tamil film Anniyan which will star Ranveer Singh. 

 

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A post shared by Lyca Productions (@lyca_productions)

The case will be heard next on June 16.

Indian 2 will feature Haasan reprising his role as Senapathy. Other cast members include Nedumudi Venu, Kajal Aggarwal, Siddharth, Rakul Preet Singh, Bobby Simha, Priya Bhavani Shankar, and Samuthirakani. Indian 2’s music will be composed by Anirudh Ravichander. The film was announced in September 2017 during the final episode of the first season of the reality television show Bigg Boss Tamil, which was being hosted by Haasan.

Netflix Announces Full List of Its Summer Releases

BY Anusha Sundar On

Netflix on Tuesday announced its lineup of summer releases, which includes zombie action film Army of the Dead, Dhanush-starrer Jagame Thandhiram, and drama film Fatherhood, featuring Kevin Hart.

Netflix had earlier announced that it would release at least one new film every week. The streaming service on Tuesday released a nearly three-minute-long video showing glimpses of the films across genres. Th streaming service will be releasing over 30 films between April and August.

American horror-thriller Things Heard & Seen (starring Amanda Seyfried), and The Mitchells vs The Machines, an animated sci-fi comedy, is scheduled to release on April 29 and 30 respectively.

In May, Netflix will be seeing seven releases, including Army of the Dead, a zombie heist action film directed and co-written by Zack Snyder, on May 21. The month will begin with the debut of Monster, a film that follows a teenager’s battle to prove his innocence in “robbery-turned-murder fights” against the justice system, on May 7. Other films include Oxygen, The Woman in the Window, Ghost Lab, Blue Miracle, and Baggio: The Divine Ponytail.

With 10 new releases, June will see the greatest number of films presented by Netflix. Jagame Thandhiram is set to stream on June 18. Directed by Karthik Subbaraj, the film narrates the story of Suruli (Dhanush), a nomadic gangster who has to choose between good and evil in a war for what one can truly call home. Also releasing on the same day is Kevin Hart’s Fatherhood, which will premiere ahead of Father’s Day which is celebrated on June 20. America: The Motion Picture, an animated comedy film that will feature the voice of Channing Tatum, will release on June 30

Singer and actress Christina Milian’s Resort to Love and action-comedy film The Last Mercenary will be leading the July releases.

In August, Netflix will release three films- Sweet Girl, He’s All That, and Beckett.

For the full list of film releases, click here.

Leonardo DiCaprio Cast in English Remake of Oscar Winning Danish Film ‘Another Round’

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Leonardo DiCaprio, the Oscar-winning Hollywood actor, will feature in the English remake of the Oscar-winning film Another Round, Deadline reported on Tuesday. The Thomas Vinterberg directorial won the Best International Feature Film Award that was held on April 25.

While Vinterberg will neither be writing nor directing the remake, he will executive produce the film, along with Sisse Graum Jørgensen and Kasper Dissing.

The rights of the Danish film were acquired by DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson’s Appian Way, Endeavor Content, and Brad Weston’s Makeready, with DiCaprio set to star as Martin, the history teacher, originally played by Mads Mikkelsen.

The writer and director for the remake have not been finalised yet.

DiCaprio’s company sought the rights to the film during a bid that unfolded during the final two weeks of the Oscar race. As per Deadline, other companies including, Studiocanal with The Picture Company and Jake Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker’s Nine Stories, and Elizabeth Banks in a bid with Universal Pictures, were the potential buyers at the auction that was even before the film’s Oscar win. The auction was conducted by Vinterberg’s ICM Partners representatives.

Another Round involves four friends, all high school teachers, who test a theory that they will improve their lives by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood, as per IMDb. While they are initially exacting about their levels, things progressively get out of hand for some of them.

Vinterberg, in a conversation with IndieWire, said that he has seen “various interpretations” of his work, adding, “It’s an interesting artistic thing to see something grow into different versions. Now it’s in the hands of the finest actor you can get and besides being a brilliant actor, he’s made very intelligent choices throughout his career. I feel there’s a lot of integrity in the choices he’s made. I’m full of hope and curiosity about what they’re up to.”

As per the report, he will meet with Appian Way on Tuesday and “discuss this with them”.

Thank You Brother: Anasuya Bharadwaj-Starrer Telugu Film to Release on Aha on May 7

BY Chandhini R On

Thank You Brother, the Telugu film starring Anasuya Bharadwaj will release on Aha streaming platform on May 7, the makers announced on Monday during a virtual press conference.

Thank You Brother is directed by Ramesh Raparthy and produced by Magunta Sarath Chandra Reddy and Tharaknath Bommi Reddy. The film stars Viraj Ashwin, Monica Reddy, Aadarsh Balakrishna, and Harsha Chemudu.

Thank You Brother is about a pregnant woman, played by Anasuya, and a youngster played by Viraj Ashwin who are stuck in an elevator, the makers said. “80% of the film is shot in the elevator set and the story revolves around these two characters. We also made this film with an aim to screen in film festivals,” Anasuya said.

According to the director, the film’s background score and songs play a vital role in keeping the audience engaged with the film, which is shot in a confined space. He said that the film’s songs will be released soon.

According to the makers, the film which was shot during the Covid-19-induced lockdown in 2020 was initially planned for an OTT release. However, when the situation seemed better they had decided to release the film in theatres on April 30. In the wake of the second wave of Covid-19, the makers decided to return to their decision of an OTT release.

The announcement comes a few days after the theatres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana opted for a voluntary shut down. Theatre owners said that the decision to close theatres was taken over by the surge in Covid-19 cases and lack of content.

Thank You Brother‘s technical crew includes Guna Balasubramanian as the music composer, Suresh Ragutu as the cinematographer and Suneesh Sebastion as the editor.

Meanwhile, Anasuya has a slew of projects in the pipeline, including Khiladi (starring Ravi Teja), Pushpa (starring Allu Arjun), and Ranga Marthanda (starring Adarsh Balakrishna).

Thamira, ‘Aan Devathai’ Director, Dies at 53 of Covid-19 Complications

BY Anusha Sundar On

Thamira, the Tamil filmmaker who directed the 2018 family drama Aan Devathai, died on Tuesday morning at a private hospital in Chennai due to Covid-19 related complications.

He was 53.

According to publicity manager John, the director had tested positive for the virus about 20 days back and had been undergoing treatment at Maya Hospital in Chennai.

Born as Sheik Dawood, Thamira was a native of the Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu. After assisting late filmmaker K Balachander in several TV serials, Thamira made his directorial debut in Tamil drama Rettaisuzhi (2010). The film, produced by Shankar, saw veteran filmmakers Balachander and Bharathiraja collaborating for the first time onscreen. Thamira also assisted Balachander while the director was writing dialogues for the 2006 Tamil film Poi. The duo collaborated for the TV serial Anni (2001-03) where Thamira wrote the screenplay.

Thamira has written and directed Aan Devathai, starring Samuthirakani and Ramya Pandian in the lead roles.

Speaking to Silverscreen India, Ramya recalled working in Aan Devathai and said, “He had a unique way of using the Tamil language. This reflected in the way he spoke, pronounced certain words and in the dialogues he wrote for his films. He improvised a lot of dialogues on the spot. He was more than just a director for me, I think of him as family. We both hail from Tirunelveli.”

Ramya said that she got a call from Thamira after he saw her performance in Joker (2016), following which Thamira had narrated the script of Aan Devathai. Talking about Thamira’s sense of humour, she said that he treated everyone with respect and equality. She recalled how he would appreciate artists when they did a good job.

“I remember, he had given Rs 50 as a token of appreciation to me for a scene that I performed well. I have a photo taken of the moment. He used to give such cash prizes on the spot if someone did a good job,” she said.

Producer and author Dhananjayan called Thamira a “fine gentleman and a good friend”. Recalling how the duo used to discuss films, he told Silverscreen India, “I have known him for four years and we used to regularly discuss cinema. But after the [Covid-19] pandemic, we were not in touch so much. He also had discussed his web series, My Perfect Husband, with me and had called me for the screening of his film Aan Devathai. He was a very sweet person and too young to go. His demise is shocking.”

Dhananjayan said that Thamira had many ideas and was keen on coming up with “good cinema and brilliant films”.

According to John, Thamira’s web series My Perfect Husband has completed 50% of the shooting and is expected to release on Disney+ Hotstar. It stars Sathyaraj and Seetha.

Various members of the Tamil film industry condoled the death of the filmmaker on social media.

Thamira’s final rites will be held on Wednesday in his hometown in Tirunelveli. He is survived by his wife Bhashriya, three sons, and one daughter.

Oscars 2021 Viewership Plunges by 56%, Sees Steady Decline Since 2014

BY Shrija Ganguly On

The 93rd Academy Awards recorded a low viewership and rating, of a 2.1 this year, The Washington Post reported. As per Nielsen Live+Same Day preliminary national numbers, Nomadland‘s historic win was viewed by an average of 10.4 million viewers. The viewership fell by 56%.

The rating is deduced from the age group of 18-49, and stands at less than a third of the viewership that the award show with the highest honor held in 2011, with 37.9 million views.

However, the 2021 Oscars fared slightly better than the 2020 Oscars that recorded an all-time low of a 1.9 rating despite Parasite‘s big win and tons of actors in attendance. The viewership stood at 23.6 million.

According to the report, all award shows including the Golden Globes and Grammys suffered a viewership decline of 63% and 51% respectively, due to restricted production value caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

While viewership of any show is subject to fluctuations, Oscars’ viewership saw a steady decline from 2014 that had witnessed 43.7 million viewers, to 37.3 million in 2015, 34.4 million in 2016, 32.9 million in 2017, and 26.5 million in 2018. The year 2019 saw a mild increase with the Academy announcing an event without a host, for the very first time. Although the viewership stood at 29.6 million, the year of Green Book was rated 7.7, the highest recorded in the last five years.

The Academy and its organisers replicated the 2019 model in 2020, that could not be of much help.

Apart from being the third consecutive year to be conducted without a host, a major popularity factor with names like Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Kimmel and others, the highly-anticipated 2021 event saw very few stars turning up. Audience members mostly comprised the nominees and presenters. The absence of a proper social media buildup leading up to the final night, and the dual-venue scheme might have taken away the charm that surrounded the ceremony.

The Washington Post also suggested the shuffling of the announcements as againat the norm of the Best Picture Award given at the end, might be a potential reason for a withering interest. It, however, added that the biggest losses were incurred by advertisers like Google, Adidas, and General Motors, that reportedly paid $2 million for a 30-second spot for the 3.23-hour-long event. The rates were in keeping with rates from five years ago when the viewership stood at 34 million.

As per The Washington Post, the steady decline in viewership is “worrisome” for Disney, that owns ABC- that airs the Oscars, which has a contract to air the award show through 2028.

The Academy Awards were held on April 25 at two locations in Los Angeles, the Union Station and The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Jagame Thandhiram: Dhanush-Starrer Tamil Film to Release on Netflix on June 18

BY Anusha Sundar On

Jagame Thandhiram, the upcoming Tamil dark comedy-drama film starring Dhanush in the lead role, will release on Netflix on June 18, the streaming service announced in a press release on Tuesday.

The film is written and directed by filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj and marks his first collaboration with Dhanush.

Jagame Thandhiram’s cast also includes Aishwarya Lekshmi, Kalaiyarasan and Joju George. Jagame Thandhiram is Aishwarya’s second Tamil film after the 2019 Tamil action thriller Action. The film will also feature Scottish actor James Cosmo, who is best known for the hit television series Game Of Thrones, and the 2005 fantasy film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

According to the streaming service, the film narrates the story of Suruli (Dhanush), a nomadic gangster who has to choose between good and evil in a war for what one can truly call home.

In February, Dhanush had said that he hoped for the film’s theatrical release and had written on Twitter, “I am hoping for the theatrical release of Jagame Thandiram like the theatre owners, exhibitors, distributors, cinema lovers and most of all my fans. Fingers crossed.”

However, the film’s teaser, which announced its Netflix release, released in the same month.

Speaking about the film, Karthik said in a statement, “Jagame Thandhiram is my dream film that was made with the ambition of telling a gripping story about a globally prevalent issue through a locally rooted character in a most interesting and entertaining way.”

The film is produced by S Sashikanth under his YNot Studios banner along with Reliance Entertainment. Santhosh Narayanan has composed the film’s music.

According to Netflix, Jagame Thandhiram will be available in multiple languages.

Vakeel Saab: Telugu Film to Stream on Amazon Prime Video from April 30

BY Anusha Sundar On

Vakeel Saab, the official Telugu remake of the hit Hindi thriller drama Pink (2016) that released in theatres on April 9, will stream on Amazon Prime Video from Friday, the streaming service announced in a press release on Tuesday.

Written and directed by Venu Sriram, the film is produced by Dil Raju and Sirish under the banner of Sri Venkateswara Creations Bayview Projects. The film stars Pawan Kalyan, reprising the role of Amitabh Bachchan from the original film. The film also features Nivetha Thomas, Anjali, and Ananya Nagalla in prominent roles, alongside Shruti Haasan and Prakash Raj.

“I am extremely excited to announce that all those who haven’t got an opportunity to watch Vakeel Saab in cinema halls will be able to stream the movie on Amazon Prime Video from the comfort of their homes. There is a lot to look forward to in the film,” Venu said.

Vakeel Saab is a story of a group of three young girls who get implicated in a crime by a stubborn, arrogant young boy. The film follows a courtroom drama with Pawan, playing the lawyer who represents the girls in court.

Speaking about the film’s digital premiere, Vijay Subramaniam, director and head of content at Amazon Prime Video, India, said that Vakeel Saab was a “beautifully written film”.

Mentioning that the film received a positive reception from audiences, the film’s producer, Dil Raju said, “For a producer, there is no greater feeling than this. However, due to these challenging times a lot of our fans could not watch the movie in theatres and I believe this makes the digital premiere of Vakeel Saab even more special.”

The film’s technical crew consists of music by S Thaman, cinematography handled by PS Vinod, and Prawin Pudi as the editor.

Pink was also remade in Tamil in 2019. Titled Nerkonda Paarvai, the film starred Ajith as the lawyer.

Waman Bhonsle, National Award-Winning Editor, Dies at 87

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Waman Bhonsle, the National Award winning editor, died early on Monday morning at his Goregaon residence in Mumbai due to age-related issues, his nephew Dinesh Bhonsle told PTI.

He was 87.

“Last year, because of the lockdown, his routine life and movement were restricted. He started losing his memory and appetite,” Dinesh Bhonsle said.

Waman Bhonsle won the best editing award at the 25th National Film award for Inkaar. It was the first National Award in the technical category and he was immensely happy, Dinesh Bhonsle said.

He went on to win several accolades including the Filmfare Award, FTII -Pune honour for Contribution to Indian Cinema in 1997, and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 Goa International Film Festival, among others.

Born in Pomburpa village in Goa, Waman Bhonsle went to Mumbai in 1952 in search of a job and later started training under his family friend DN Pai, who had edited Pakeezah, at the Bombay Talkies. He then worked as an assistant editor at Filmistan and Famous Studio for more than a decade and eventually worked as an independent editor for Raj Khosla’s film Do Raaste in 1967.

In his four-decade-long career, he worked with several noted filmmakers like Subhash Ghai, Shekar Kapur, Mahesh Bhatt, Gulzar, Raj Sippy, Anil Ganguly, and others.

He has edited more 230 films including Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Do Raaste, Inkaar, Dostana, Agneepath, Parichay, Hero, Kalicharan, Karz, Ram Lakhan, Saudagar, Ghulam, among others.

Amol Palekar-directed Kairee was Waman Bhonsle’s last film as an editor. He retired from editing in early 2000.

His last rites were performed at a crematorium in Goregaon on Monday afternoon.

The film editor is survived by his wife, one son and three daughters.

Several colleagues and his industry peers took to social media to offer their condolences.

Noted writer-lyricist Varun Grover shared the news of Waman Bhonsle’s death along with a link of a rare video interview of the legend.

Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham: Mohanlal-Starrer to Release in Theatres Worldwide on August 12

BY Chandhini R On

Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham the Malayalam film starring Mohanlal in the lead role, which was scheduled to release on May 13, will release in the theatres worldwide on August 12, the actor announced on Tuesday.

Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham, written and directed by Priyadarshan, won awards for the best feature film, best special effects and best costume design at the 67th National Film Awards.

The film’s release has been postponed four times since it was first announced. The initial release, scheduled for March 26, 2020, was postponed to March 26, 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Later the release of the film was postponed yet again, this time to May 13, marking the Eid festival. Makers have now further delayed the release by three months.

The announcement of postponing the film’s release comes days after the Kerala government, on April 19, ordered all theatres in the state to close by 7:30 pm for the next two weeks to curb the sudden spike in Covid-19 cases in the state.

The film also features Suniel Shetty, Arjun Sarja, Keerthy Suresh, Manju Warrier, Pranav Mohanlal, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Siddique, Ashok Selvan Fazil, Siddique, Nedumudi Venu and Innocent in pivotal roles.

Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham is set in the 16 century and narrates the story of Kunjali Marakkar IV, the fourth and the last of the Malayali naval leaders deployed by the by the Samoothiri of Calicut to fight against the Portuguese, between 1507 and 1600.

The film, also known as Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea has been dubbed in several languages including Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, English and Chinese. The film was shot in Hyderabad’s Ramoji Film City and Kovalam in Kerala.

Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham is produced by Antony Perambavoor under the Aashirvaad Cinemas banner at a budget of Rs 100 crores. Antony’s production house has collaborated with Mohanlal for over 25 films including the blockbuster hit Drishyam and its sequel Drishyam 2 that released on Amazon Prime Video in February, 2021.

While Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham’s background score is composed by Rahul Raj Ankit Suri and Lyell Evans Roeder, the songs are composed by Ronnie Raphael.  The technical crew includes Thiru as the cinematographer, Aiyappan Nair M.S as the editor, Thyagarajan, Kazu Neda as the stunt coordinators and Pattanam Rasheed as the makeup artist.

Mumbai Saga: John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi-Starrer to Release on Amazon Prime Video on April 27

BY Shrija Ganguly On

John Abraham and Emraan Hashmi-starrer Mumbai Saga will have its digital premiere on Amazon Prime Video on April 27, the streaming giant announced on Monday. The film released in theaters on March 19.

Directed by Sanjay Gupta, the action drama film features an ensemble cast that includes Mahesh Manjrekar, Kajal Aggarwal, Suniel Shetty, Prateik Babbar, Rohit Roy, Amole Gupte, Gulshan Grover, Samir Soni and Anjana Sukhani apart from Abraham and Hashmi.

Set in the backdrop of Mumbai in the early 90s, the film revolves around the life of Amartya Rao (played by Abraham), a gangster and his duel with Vijay Sawarkar (played by Hashmi), a senior police inspector. According to a press release issued by Amazon Prime Video, Mumbai Saga “is the story of the Bombay that was and the Mumbai that it became”.

The film was made on a budget of Rs. 50 crores but garnered a box office collection of around Rs. 23 crores. According to analysts, the film’s business was impacted due to the rise in COVID from during mid-March.

Abraham said in a statement, “The movie released in cinema halls this March and I am delighted with the response from fans who watched the movie.” Gupta added that the digital release will help them “reach a wider set of audience”.

Mumbai Saga marks Abraham’s third collaboration with director Gupta after Zinda and Shootout at Wadala.

“Vijay Savarkar’s character, while being a cop, has some grey shades to it, and that’s something that excited me to take this role on”, Hashmi said in a statement. This will be his first collaboration with Gupta.

Mumbai Saga is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Anuradha Gupta, and Sangeeta Ahir under the T-Series and White Feather Films banners.

In 2019, the makers of Mumbai Saga were sent a legal notice by undertrial prisoner Ravi Bohra and family members of gangster Amar Naik including his gangster brother Ashwin Naik, seeking an interim stay or postponement of the release after reports surfaced about the film being based on their lives.

They recently filed a plea with the Bombay High Court that refused to stay the release after the petitioners failed to show how the film would deter their trial. Producers told the court that they “never” claimed the story was based on Bohra or Naik.

Varavu: Story of Tovino’s Mystery Thriller is Based on My Experiences in Vadakara, Says Director Rakesh Mantodi

BY Anusha Sundar On

In 2017, soon after Godha released, scriptwriter Rakesh Mantodi moved from Chennai, his home for over 13 years, to a small village in Vadakara, Kerala. “I spent my time trying to understand the flavours of the village and its people. Varavu is the culmination of my experiences in Vadakara,” said Mantodi, speaking with Silverscreen India about his directorial debut starring Tovino Thomas in the lead.

“The film includes a few myths and legends that are popularly believed in the Malabar region,” Mantodi added. Varavu‘s first look released on Saturday and the film is currently in pre-production.

Mantodi, who made his debut as a writer with Thira, said he had a basic idea about the story for his directorial debut. “Varavu is a story that happens in a small village- a mystery thriller with some mythical elements. ”

“Having lived in a metropolitan city like Chennai for a long time, I had doubts about whether I could write the story for a village-based film well. Besides mythical references, the film also has some realistic elements,” said Mantodi, speaking about his decision to move from Chennai to Vadakara.

“I took a house near my hometown in north Malabar,” he said. He added it was in Vadakara that he met the co-writer of the film- Sharesh Malayankandi, a police official from the Kozhikode cyber cell department by profession. “Sharesh lived near my house and I met him one day near a place where I play badminton often. He was also interested in films, like me, and a friendship began to bloom,” said Mantodi. Manu Manjith who has worked as a lyricist in Malayalam films such as Godha, June, Velipadinte Pusthakam among others, later joined them as a co-writer.

“All three of us decided to start living under one roof in Vadakara, to work on the script of Varavu,” Mantodi said.

While the basic idea of the story came from the Mantodi, the dialogues, characters and the way the story progresses were all a result of  “teamwork”, Manjith said, speaking with Silverscreen India.

Mantodi said that scripting was completed in September 2020 and the team narrated the story to Tovino soon after.

While Tovino will play the lead, Mantodi said actor Sreenivasan will play the “second-most important role” in Varavu. The film will also feature fresh faces. “We are planning to include local people of North Malabar as character artists by training them,” the director added.

The shooting schedule for Varavu is yet to be finalised due to the ongoing second Covid-19 wave across the country, makers said. Shooting will take place in the North Malabar region of Kerala, they added. Varavu’s technical crew consists of Viswajith Odukkathil as the cinematographer, Guna Balasubramanian as the music composer, Nimesh Thanur as art director, and PM Satheesh as sound designer.

‘Lalbagh’ Director Prasanth Murali Padmanabhan Denies Plagiarising Teaser’s Scene From ‘Trance’

BY Chandhini R On

Prasanth Murali Padmanabhan, the director of the upcoming Malayalam film Lalbagh, denied plagiarising scenes from another Malayalam film Trance for his film’s teaser in a social media post.

Following the release of Lalbagh’s teaser on YouTube, many people alleged that a scene in the teaser bears a similarity to Trance, which stars Fahadh Faasil.

Prasanth said that the scene in Lalbagh’s teaser was shot in December 2019, while Trance was released in February 2020.

“It’s very hard to capture an important scene without a dialogue in a way that people can understand (that’s also not a normal task). When you see Lalbagh, you will understand why this scene was done this way. The reason I said this much is because I saw a lot of comments comparing a scene from Trance under the YouTube link of the teaser,” Prasanth wrote.
“This is just a coincidence. Not copying. Also, I don’t know Trance’s writer Vincent Vadakkan or the director Anwar Rasheed to have learnt about this shot earlier,” he said.
“Isn’t it bad to say ‘copycat’ about a movie like Lalbagh with no big star cast? Not only cinema, but the whole world is in this situation where we don’t know what is ahead. Think positive, do positive, stay positive,” he said.
Lalbagh’s star cast includes Mamta Mohandas in the lead role, along with Rahul Madhav, Sijoy Varghese, Neha Saxena, Nandini Rai, Rahul Dev Shetty in supporting roles. Director Prasanth and actor Mamta are teaming up for the second time in Lalbagh after Paisa Paisa (2013). 
According to The Hindu, the film was shot fully in Bengaluru. Mamta plays the role of a nurse named Sarah. Mamta says, “The film opens with a murder. Sarah’s husband is found dead when there is a birthday party going on in their house and the guests are all close friends of the family. Sarah then joins hands with the police to track down the murderer. It is her quest to find the reason for her husband’s death.”
The film, which is produced by Raj Zachariah, will release in theatres on May 29. While Rahul Raj is composing the film’s music, Antony Jo is the cinematographer, with Suneesh Sebastion as the editor.

Oscars 2021 in Photos: Celebrating Films Amid a Raging Pandemic

BY Shrija Ganguly On

The 93rd Academy Awards, which was held on Monday, saw Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland winning three big awards– best picture, best direction, and best actress in the leading role. She became the first Asian woman to win the best director’s award.

The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Soul, Mank, and Sound of Metal, followed with two wins each.

However, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, very few were in attendance to witness the historic win. The Oscars opted for an in-person event unlike its counterparts’ virtual ceremonies, with restrictions in place. The event was primarily held in Los Angeles at Union Station and an additional event at the Dolby Theatre with Regina King as the host.

Here are some photos to walk you through the Oscars 2021:

Chloe Zhao receives best director award for ‘Nomadland’. Photo credit: Press list: oscars.org 

The evening began with Zhao’s first big win- award for Best Direction, presented by Parasite director and Zhao’s predecessor Bong-Joon Ho, and Sharon Choi. Parasite was the first foreign language film to win the Best Picture Award in 2020.

Yuh-Jung Youn wins the best supporting role female award for ‘Minari’. She is the second Asian woman and the first South Korean woman to win in the category. Photo Credit- Press list: oscars.org
‘Sound of Metal’ actor and a nominee in the supporting category, Paul Raci arrives at the venue along with wife Liz. Photo Credit- Press list: oscars.org
An overview of the Union Station venue in Los Angeles with limited seating. Photo Credit- Press list: oscars.org 
Actor Daniel Kaluuya, winner of the supporting role category for ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’, arrives at the venue. Photo Credit- Press list: oscars.org
93rd Oscars, Academy Awards
Frances McDormand accepts the Oscar® for Actress in a Leading Role during the live ABC Telecast of The 93rd Oscars® at Union Station in Los Angeles, CA on Monday. Photo Credit- Press list: oscars.org
93rd Oscars, Academy Awards
Oscar® nominee Olivia Colman (R) attends a screening of the live ABC Telecast of The 93rd Oscars® from the National Film Theatre in London, England, on Monday. Photo Credit- Press list: oscars.org
93rd Oscars, Academy Awards
A screening of the live ABC Telecast of The 93rd Oscars® from the National Film Theatre in London, England, on Monday. Photo Credit- Press list: oscars.org

Idiot: Tamil Horror-Comedy’s Trailer Released, Director Rambhala Says Film is About a Mentally Unstable Person in a Haunted Bungalow

BY Anusha Sundar On

The trailer of Idiot, the upcoming Tamil horror-comedy film starring Shiva and Nikki Galrani in the lead, released on social media on Sunday.

Written and directed by Rambhala, the film is produced by Screen Scene Media Entertainment and executive produced by Siddharth Ravipati. Other cast members include Anandraj, Oorvasi, Akshara Gowda, Mayilsamy, Singamuthu, Ravi Mariya, Kingsly among others.

In a conversation with Silversceen India, Rambhala said, “Idiot is about what happens when a mentally unstable person goes to a haunted bungalow. We see the interactions between the ghost and the patient. Many times, human beings become mentally unstable due to certain circumstances. In every instance, some idiotic thing will keep happening and hence the title. There are many characters in the film and it shows what happens when they go to the haunted bungalow. There is no logic in the film but it is pure entertainment.”

Rambhala has previously directed the hit comedy TV series Lollu Sabha, starring actor-comedian Santhanam. The show that ran between 2004-2007, consisted of spoofs of Tamil films and shows. The filmmaker has also directed the 2016 Tamil horror comedy Dhilluku Dhuddu and its sequel in 2019.

Talking about his work in the horror-comedy genre, Rambhala said that Idiot will be his last film in this genre. “The genre is reaping profits and my previous film Dhilluku Dhuddu and its sequel have been commercial hit films. Producers expect me to do a horror-comedy and have approached me to make more  of such films. However, this will be my last horror-comedy. I do not want to be typecast,” he said.

Idiot will concentrate on the comedy aspect unlike other comedy-horror films that concentrate on the visual aspect of horror, he said.

“When writing comedy, you cannot think and write. It is all about timing and spontaneity and comes naturally. For Lollu Sabha, I understood my strengths and created them. It had parody, comedy and spoof elements,” he said.

The filmmaker said that the idea of making horror-comedy films occurred to him when he was working on Lollu Sabha.

“I had the idea of infusing ghosts in a comedy film. But I wanted to do it as a feature film and knew it wouldn’t work as a serial. Even Idiot stemmed from this same idea,” Rambhala said.

While the opening moments of Idiot’s trailer have spoof elements of Kamal Haasan’s upcoming film Vikram, the director clarified that the film does not have any recurring spoof elements.

He said that he narrated the script to the producers in July 2020. The shooting was held in November and December, 2020 in Tenkasi, Pollachi in Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. The film is currently in the post-production stage.

“There are a few CGI and music works are going on, and the dubbing of one artist is pending,” he said.

According to Rambhala, the film is meant to be watched in theatres along with a crowd. He said that the makers were waiting for the current pandemic situation to ease out.

Idiot’s technical crew consists of Raja Bhattacharjee as the cinematographer, music by Vikram Selva and Videsh as the art director. While the editor is Madhavan, the costume designer is Abhinaya K.

One: Mammootty-Starrer Malayalam Film to Stream on Netflix from Tomorrow

BY Chandhini R On

One, the recently-released Malayalam film starring Mammootty, will premiere on Netflix on Tuesday, the film’s director Santhosh Viswanath told Silverscreen India on Monday.

Written by Kerala State Award-winning screenwriter duo Bobby and Sanjay, the political thriller released in theatres on March 26.

The film’s star cast includes Murali Gopy, Joju George, Siddique, Mathew Thomas, Ishaani Krishna, Gayatri Arun and Nimisha Sajayan in prominent roles.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by One Movie (@onemovieofficial)

Speaking to Silverscreen India, Santhosh said, “Though the digital premiere was decided earlier, we were awaiting confirmation on release date from the streaming platform. I believe releasing the film on the OTT platform will reach a wider audience.”

Talking about the film’s OTT release, Santhosh said that the film’s OTT release agreement was signed in 2020. “As per the agreement, the film is eligible to release on the OTT platform after completing 30 days of theatrical screening,” he said.

 

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A post shared by Mammootty (@mammootty)

One, which delves into political ideologies, had released 10 days before the legislative Assembly poll was conducted in Kerala.

“We had planned to release this film in May 2020. But due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown, we had to postpone the release. The reschedule date happened to be a few days before the elections and I feel it was the right time to release the film. Though the situation seemed better during the release, the wake of the second wave of Covid-19 was unexpected. However, the film fared well,” Santhosh said.

One marks the director’s second feature film after Chirakondinja Kinavukal (2015), the Malayalam film starring Kunchako Boban and Rima Kallingal in lead roles.

One’s technical crew consists of Gopi Sundar as the music composer, Vaidy Somasundaram as cinematographer and Nishan Yusuf as the editor. The film was produced under the banner of Ichais Productions.

Oscars 2021: Chloe Zhao Becomes First Asian Woman to Win Best Director, Her Film ‘Nomadland’ Takes Home 2 More Top Awards

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Nomadland, the American drama film directed by Chloe Zhao, took home three Oscars for best direction, best actress in a leading role, and best picture awards at the 93rd Academy Awards held on Monday. Zhao became the first Asian the second woman ever to win the category.

Yuh-Jung Youn became the second Asian woman to win the best supporting actress, after Japanese-American actor Miyoshi Umeki won in 1957 for Sayonara. The 73-year old South-Korean actor who won her very first Oscar nomination for Minari, said, “It’s nice to understand and embrace each other because people are often categorised by their skin colour and gender, and if you all get put together like a rainbow, it’s so much better.”

Frances McDormand won the best actress award while Anthony Hopkins broke late actor Chadwick Boseman‘s winning streak, taking home the best actor in the leading role for The Father. The Father also also won the best adapted screenplay that Zhao was nominated in as well.

Daniel Kaluuya won the best supporting actor award for Judas and the Black Messiah, making him the fourth Black actor in the last 30 years to win the category.

Denmark’s Another Round continued its winning streak with its win in the Best International Feature Film category.

Credits: David Lee/Netflix

While Mank and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom saw nominations in 10 and four categories respectively, both bagged awards in the non-performance categories. Mank won in the cinematography and production design categories, while Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom won in the best costume and make-up and hairstyle categories.

The audience comprised actors and nominees and presenters like Riz Ahmed and Viola Davis, actors Vanessa Kirby, Andra Del Ray, apart from the presenters for the evening- Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Parasite director Bong Joon Ho, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, actors Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Renée Zellweger, Zendaya, and Steven Yeun.

The ‘In Memoriam’ segment paid tribute to film personalities who died in 2020. Late Hindi actor Irrfan Khan and late Academy Award-winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya featured alongside the names of Chadwick Boseman, Sean Connery, Cicely Tyson, and others. Freida Pinto wrote a tribute piece for Khan, who was her co-star in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionnaire. Athaiya had won an Oscar for costume design for Gandhi. 

The 93rd Oscars, hosted by Regina King, was held at the Union Station Los Angeles and the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood, and international locations via satellite.

The list of winners includes:

Best Sound – Sound of Metal

Best Original Screenplay – Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell)

Best Cinematography – Mank

Best Production Design – Mank (Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale)

Best Editing – Sound of Metal (Mikkel EG Nielson)

Best Visual Effects – Tenet (Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley, and Scott Fisher)

Best Animated Short Film – If Anything Happens I Love You

Best Live Action Short Film – Two Distant Strangers

Best Documentary Feature – My Octopus Teacher

Best Documentary Short Subject – Collette

Best Original Score – Soul (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste)

Best Original Song – Fight For You from Judas and the Black Messiah (H.E.R., Dernst Emile II, and Tiara Thomas)

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award – Tyler Perry

Idiot Trailer Starring Mirchi Shiva, Nikki Galrani

Cast & Crew Details

Cast: Mirchi Shiva, Nikki Galrani, Anandraj, Oorvasi, Akshara Gowda, Mayilsamy, Singamuthu,
Ravi Mariya, Kingsly & Others

Producer By: Screen Scene Media Entertainment Pvt Ltd

Executive Producer: Siddharth Ravipati

Head of Distribution: Kiran Kumar S

Line Producer : Subramanian Narayanan

Director: Rambhala

Cinematographer: Raja Bhattacharjee

Music Director: Vikram Selva

Art Director: Videsh

Editor: Madhavan

Publicity Designer: Pawan

Costume Designer: Abhinaya K

Production Manager: N.R. Kuma