Section: Movies

Shankar Can’t be Prevented from Directing Other Films, Says Madras HC as ‘Indian 2’ Producers Seek Interim Injunction Against Him

BY Anusha Sundar On

Lyca Productions, the production company that is producing Indian 2, the sequel of filmmaker Shankar’s 1996 Tamil thriller film Indian, moved the Madras High Court on Thursday seeking an interim injunction on the filmmaker from directing any other film before completing Indian 2, The Hindu reported.

Justice PT Asha, who was hearing the case, refused to grant the injunction and said that an order can be passed only after hearing the director’s side. The move comes at a time when Shankar is set to direct a Telugu film starring Ram Charan in the lead, that was announced in February.

Lyca Productions 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 banner demanded that  Shankar complete shooting the rest of the film.

The production company claimed that it paid Shankar Rs 14 crore 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.

The court has asked for a notice to be sent to Shankar and a response is expected to be submitted by April 15.

While Kamal Haasan is set to reprise his role as Senapathy from Indian, Indian 2 will also feature Nedumudi Venu, Kajal Aggarwal, Siddharth, Rakul Preet Singh, Bobby Simha, Priya Bhavani Shankar, and Samuthirakani. The film was officially announced in September 2017 during the final episode of the first season of reality television show Bigg Boss Tamil, which was being hosted by Haasan.

This is not the first time Indian 2 has been embroiled in problems.

In February 2020, three persons were killed and nine injured in a freak crane accident at the film’s sets in EVP Film City in Chennai. While the makers of the film announced relief for the bereaved families, Haasan wrote to Lyca Productions questioning the safety precautions and insurance policy maintained by the production team. In response, Lyca Productions had written in a letter that they had left “no stone unturned” for the safety and that a “comprehensive insurance policy” for all the members have been taken. Further, the production company said that the “entire shoot was also under the control and supervision” of the actor and Shankar.

Indian 2’s music is set to be composed by Anirudh Ravichander, with R Rathnavelu as the cinematographer and A Sreekar Prasad as the editor.

Aarkkariyaam Review: Despite Excellent Actors, the Film is Consumed by Its Tendency to Self-Reflect

BY Aswathy Gopalakrishnan On

Director: Sanu John Varughese

Cast: Biju Menon, Sharaf-U-Dheen, Parvathy

Spoiler Alert

In early 2020, just before Covid-19 protocols were implemented in India, a couple in their 30s prepares to leave their Mumbai apartment for Pala, the woman’s native village in Kerala. Besides concerns over the long drive to Kerala during the pandemic, the couple face a more crucial problem – a financial crisis threatening to break off a long-standing friendship.

The opening sequence of Aarkkariyaam (Who knows!) moves between this grim scene of home-leaving and warmer vignettes of a patriarch preparing to welcome the couple into his lonely yet strangely content existence in an old house with a sprawling green backyard. We follow him plodding through the house, looking for spots to be cleaned and windows to be opened. He breaks his lent to suit the tastes of the young guests. He quarrels with a kind young neighbour who helps him out in the kitchen – something that has come to be a routine – but today, he wraps it up by humming a vintage tune. The wrinkles on his face and his sunken eyes are hesitant to express it, but Ittiyevara (Biju Menon), a retired mathematics teacher, is in a good mood today.

One of the starkest changes that came over Malayalam cinema post-2010 was films that placed style over substance; ones that featured flashy camera movements and editing techniques that constantly drew attention to themselves. Aarkkariyam, directed by cinematographer-turned-director Sanu John Varughese, lies on the other end of this spectrum, where the form is so subdued that modesty becomes the movie’s fatal flaw.

Sanu has the methodical approach of a film school student, staying away from mainstream tendencies, even in places that call for dramatic intervention of camera and sound. The result is a monotonous narrative that beats around the bush.

The most affecting moments in the film are the scenes that illustrate the close relationship shared by the three characters. They cook together in their humble kitchen, inspect the orchard for ripe fruits, and watch religious shows on television. The narrative has a gorgeously grainy texture.

In the images that act as a period-marker and as devices of nostalgia and idyll, Sanu inserts the story’s organs. The instance of Roy (Sharaf-U-Dheen) walking up to Ittiyevara’s room at night and pausing upon spotting the father’s long shadow in prayer. The trio walking through the plantation, discussing life, towards a picturesque quarry pond where the patriarch has his daily bath. The film asks the audience to notice every detail on the screen, albeit presented mutedly and make assumptions on why the characters do what they do.

Gradually, Sanu and his writers (Rajesh Ravi, Arun Janardhanan) reveal the information that makes up the background. An ex-husband. A secret buried in the backyard, weighing on Ittiyevara’s chest for over a decade. Sanu does not shoot the viewer with this information but coolly tosses it into a conversation between the father and the son-in-law, hoping that the unlikely casualness would shake up the audience. But it does not. The narrative stays still, refusing to shift gear.

More slender than the film’s way of showing things is its subtext about the morality of killing within a pious environment and the human need for closure. As the title might suggest, ambiguity is the fundamental quality of Aarkkariyaam. Every discussion ends abruptly, leaving behind a train of vaguely expressed thoughts. We do not know if the murder was a definite act or an accident that happened in the heat of the moment. The film does not delve deeper into it.

Roy’s search for a murdered man’s past comes across as a pointless long-winded exercise. What he seeks to know, the film never clarifies. An investigation is not something a man like him, not as religious as his wife or adventurous as his father-in-law, might take up.

Sanu succeeds in bringing together a great cast, led by an excellent Biju Menon. He plays Ittiyevara with so much emotional depth, emanating a sense of wisdom that seems to spill into life offscreen. He is utmost natural, at one with the house and the surroundings as though he has known it forever. He holds the film together even in the scenes where he is underplaying.

Parvathy, for once, keeps her tendency to hog the limelight in control and delivers a charming performance. Among the small bunch of supporting actors, Pramod Veliyanad, an ace theatre artiste who plays Bhasi, a local man who assists Ittiyevara in farm labour, stands out for his manners and a singular way of speaking. Veliyanad’s thoroughly grounded performance comes off as at once impulsive and thoughtful, adds to the film’s lived-in texture.

Aarkkariyaam might be appreciated best as a curation of pieces of idyllic rural life during a pandemic that has sent the world into a tizzy. Despite the overarching detachment that stems from its aesthetic style, the film manages to fill the viewer with a sense of warmth. It is not perfect people that make up perfect families, but the wounds they share and survive together.

*****

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

Day Shift: Dave Franco, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Oliver Masucci, CS Lee Join Cast of Netflix Film

BY Namrata Ganguly On

Dave Franco, the American actor best known for the Now You See Me series and The Disaster Artist, along with Natasha Liu Bordizzo (The Voyeurs), Oliver Masucci (Dark), Steve Howey (Shameless) and CS Lee (Dexter) joined Jamie Foxx as cast members of the upcoming Netflix film Day Shift. 

The streaming giant issued a press release on Thursday to announce the ensemble cast of the upcoming vampire drama.

According to Netflix, Foxx will be starring as a hard-working blue-collar father who wants to provide a good life for his quick-witted daughter, but his mundane San Fernando Valley pool cleaning job is a front for his real source of income- hunting and killing vampires as part of an international union of vampire hunters.

Day Shift is helmed by debutant director JJ Perry, who worked second unit director and stunt coordinator for films including Fast & Furious 9, The Fate of the Furious, Bloodshot, and the John Wick franchise.

Tyler Tice has written the script of Day Shift, with revisions by the American screenwriter and producer Shay Hatten who is best known for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and upcoming films Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, and John Wick: Chapter 4. 

In 2017, Tice won the Slamdance Writing Competition Grand Prize for his script Day Shift under the horror category at the annual awards ceremony that was held at the Writers Guild of America West in Los Angeles.

Chad Stahelski, who has previously worked with Perry on the John Wick Franchise, and Jason Spitz for 87 Eleven Entertainment along with Shaun Redick (Get Out, BlackKklansman) and Yvette Yates Redick (Malicious) for Impossible Dream Entertainment will be producing Day Shift. 

Foxx will also be the film’s executive producer, along with Datari Turner and Peter Baxter (Q: Inside the Storm). 

The release date of Day Shift has not yet been announced.

Rajinikanth to be Conferred With Dada Saheb Phalke Award

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Rajinikanth, the actor who was last seen in the 2020 film Darbar, will be conferred with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award for his contribution to Indian cinema, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar announced on social media on Thursday.

The recipient of the country’s highest film honour for 2019 was decided by a jury comprising singers Shankar Mahadevan and Asha Bhosle, actors Mohanlal and Biswajeet Chatterjee, and filmmaker Subhash Ghai.

While the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for 2019 was supposed to be held in 2020, it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown.

Reacting to the news, Rajinikanth expressed his gratitude to the Central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a statement on social media.

“I would like to dedicate the award to Raj Bahadur – my fellow bus driver who discovered the actor in me and encouraged me, Sathyanarayana Rao Gaekwad – my brother who made several sacrifices to make me an actor despite living in poverty, filmmaker K Balachander – my teacher who introduced me into the film industry and who made me into ‘Rajinikanth’, filmmakers, producers, fellow artists, distributors, theatre owners, press and the Tamil people who have given a life to me,” the statement said.
He thanked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Paneerselvam, actor and politician Kamal Haasan, and DMK leader Stalin.

The Robot actor’s career in the film industry spans over 40 years, beginning in 1975. Born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, Rajinikanth debuted with a supporting role with K Balachander’s Tamil drama Apoorva Raagangal in 1975. He went on to feature in some of the biggest Indian films, mostly in Tamil, such as Baashha that, as reported by Indian Express, earned him the the title of Thalaiva and catapulted him to a cult status, making him a demi god for his fans.

In 1983, he made his Hindi film debut alongside Amitabh Bachchan, who was the recpient of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 2018, and Hema Malini in Andha Kanoon, and went on to feature in other Hindi films like Hum and Chaalbaaz.

Wishes poured in from across the country, congratulating Rajinikanth.

In December 2020, Rajinikanth announced his foray into politics and the launch of his political party  ahead of the state Assembly Elections in 2021. He had to be admitted to the hospital later that month after his blood pressure fluctuated. On December 23, 2020, a few crew members from his upcoming Tamil film Annaatthe tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the shooting to a halt. The actor had tested negative.

After he was discharged from the hospital, he announced that he would not join politics owing to persisting health conditions, and cancelled his party’s launch.

Thalapathy 65: Actor Vijay’s 65th Tamil Film Launched

BY Anusha Sundar On

Actor Vijay’s upcoming 65th Tamil film was launched through a pooja ceremony held at Sun TV‘s studio in Chennai on Wednesday. The makers released a short video of the ceremony on social media.

The film, which is tentatively titled Thalapathy 65, will be written and directed by filmmaker Nelson Dilipkumar. It is produced by media baron Kalanithi Maran under the Sun Pictures banner. The banner has earlier backed Vijay’s 2018 political action film Sarkar.

Earlier, the production house had announced that Pooja Hegde will feature alongside Vijay in the film. This will be the duo’s maiden collaboration and Hegde’s return to the Tamil cinema after nearly a decade. Her last Tamil film, which was also her acting debut, was the superhero drama film Mugamoodi (2012) opposite Jiiva and directed by Mysskin. Hegde was unable to attend the launch ceremony since she was shooting another film.

Thalapathy 65’s music will be composed by Anirudh Ravichander. Manoj Paramahamsa is in charge of cinematography. He had earlier collaborated with Vijay in Nanban, a Tamil remake of the hit Hindi film 3 Idiots, and had said that Thalapathy 65 will be a “pan-Indian affair”. Jani Master be the choreographer. He had earlier tweeted that the shooting will begin from May 3 and the rehearsals for the songs would start from April 24. However, he had later deleted the post.

The rest of the cast and crew members are yet to be announced.

The film is in its pre-production stage, the publicity manager of Thalapathy 65, Riaz, had earlier told Silverscreen India.

Meanwhile, Nelson is gearing up for the release of his second directorial venture, Doctor, featuring Sivakarthikeyan, Vinay Rai, and Priyanka Arul Mohan. The film, which was slated to release on March 26, was postponed due to the forthcoming 16th Legislative Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Doctor is now scheduled to release on the occasion of Ramzan, the makers had announced.

Rocketry Movie Trailer Starring R Madhavan

Tricolour Films & Varghese Moolan Pictures presents
A Tricolour Films Production
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect | Official Tamil Trailer

Written & Directed by R. Madhavan
Producers: Sarita Madhavan, R. Madhavan, Varghese Moolan & Vijay Moolan
Creative Producer: Prakash Nambiar
Executive Producers: Smriti Jain & Gaurav Mishra
Line Production: Skywalk Films
Director of Photography: Sirsha Ray
Editing: Bijith Bala
Production Design: Ranjit & Prerna
Background Music: Sam C.S.
Additional Music: Divakar Subramaniam
Sound Design: Siddharth Dubey
Re-recording Mixer: Justin Jose
VFX Supervisor: Anuj Deshpande
CG: Assemblage Entertainment
DI: Prime Focus
DI Colorist: Ashirwad Hadkar
Language Supervisor: Vaishnavi Aravind
Technical Advisor: Aravind Kamalanathan
Co-director (Creative): Prajeshsen G
Casting: Aadore Mukherjee & others
Post Production: The Post Co
Costume Design: Niharika Khan & Gautami Hazra
Makeup & Hair Design: Vikram Gaikwad & Rohan Jagtap
Visual Promotions: Trigger Happy Entertainment Network

Pikchar With Rita: The Relevance and Timeless Appeal of ‘Naya Daur’ Across Eras

BY On

In yesteryear’s black-and-white films, it is not uncommon to see hordes of migrants leaving villages in search of a better life in cities. What I strongly felt while watching the 1957 film Naya Daur is how brutalised the lives of the poor have been, and how songs and mythologies help differentiate existing from survival.

The film’s famous song Saathi Haath Badhaana, when sung collectively, creates a humming environment in which inequities of labour and capital get contained in a chorus.

Even today, the songs of Naya Daur are the most sought-after ones on All India Radio. And at least three references to them in recent times made me reach out the film.

As students of literature, we were taught how an epic differs from a lyric or novel. The difference of genre, we learnt, was not of size or mode, but of the nature of ambition driving each. How to tell a story that did not separate the individual from the collective, the forest from the temple, the road from the pond, the economic from the social, and remained both political and metaphysical all the way through?

The encounter with an epic is always troubling. That’s the feeling that Naya Daur has left me with. I braced myself to tolerate some precious idyllic village life but was left wondering how I had spent half a century in India without watching the film. The answer may lie in an uncertain familiarity with certain films that feel like they have already been watched and known, for there is so much lore around them. It’s like living those episodes of childhood which you never know for sure actually happened, or heard them being described once too many.

While watching Naya Daur today, it’s difficult not to appreciate the burden cinema took in a newly-independent India, of articulating the ‘national’. Yet, in an astuteness that is characteristic of popular cinema, it both consolidated and pushed back the ‘national’.

Naya Daur begins with Gandhi’s words on the use of machines and how they cannot be allowed to replace the human hand. It ends with the protagonist Shankar (played by Dilip Kumar) asserting that he was not against machines, but find us a world where we and the machines can co-exist. This vision, a compromise between Nehru and Gandhi, a modernity that needs its edges to be softened and a tradition that needs to be respected for simply exitsing, is cinema’s negotiation. This vision has memories of colonialism and Partition built into it.

Shankar tells his ‘enemies’ in the neighbouring village that two brothers living in the same house may fight, but they will unite when pitched against an outsider. Cinematic memory of Partition is often made through these filial metaphors. Elsewhere, he says, it’s not hard work that matters to us; we did it for someone else, we will now do it for ourselves. The ‘someone’ else may well be the white coloniser. India in the 1950s was already fighting against itself. The internal enemy also appears as a hybrid compound of a new urban westernised capitalist aided by a wily Brahmin.

Through all layers of the political and economic is the most beautiful romance between Shankar and Rajni (played by Vyjayanthimala). Their duet Maang Ke Saath Tumhara is one of the most melodious odes with OP Nayyar’s classic horse-tapping rhythm.

The delightful song comes amid backbreaking labour. Reshmi shalwar kurta jaali ka in the song’s lyrics is almost a symptomatic reference to cinema itself, which appeared like a song in the middle of a laborious day for the working class. This is not cinema of today, but it is also cinema of all times in another sense.

If melodies, memories, and inequalities are universal, Naya Daur belongs to every era, not just old or new.

Chehre: Release of Film Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Emraan Hashmi Postponed as Covid Cases Rise

BY Anindita Banerjee On

The release of Chehre, the Hindi film starring veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi, has been postponed due to the sudden spike in Covid-19 cases and new guidelines for theatres, Bachchan announced on Twitter on Tuesday.

Directed by Rumy Jafry, the mystery-thriller was scheduled to have a theatrical release on April 9. The new release date is yet to be announced.

A statement, shared by the film’s team, said that the film will be released once the environment is more “conducive”.

The film also stars Annu Kapoor, Krystle D’Souza, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Raghubir Yadav, Rhea Chakraborty, and Siddhanth Kapoor.

Chehre is produced by Anand Pandit Motion Pictures and Saraswati Entertainment Private Limited.

Chehre is among several films which had to delay its release in view of the ongoing pandemic. Rana Daggubati-starrer Haathi Mere Saathi, which was set to release on March 26, was postponed due to the rising numbers of cases. A statement from the film’s production house Eros International read: “Given the Covid-19 situation in the Hindi markets, the team of Haathi Mere Saathi has decided to hold on to the release of the film. We shall keep you posted on further developments.” The release of Tamil and Telugu versions of the film, however, was not postponed.

Meanwhile, two major films- Kangana Ranaut‘s Thalaivi and Akshay Kumar‘s Sooryavanshi– are still as per schedule of their theatrical releases in April. While Ranaut’s film will release on April 23, Kumar’s film will release on April 30. Salman Khan and John Abraham will also release their films Radhe and Satyameva Jayate 2, respectively on May 13, on the occasion of Eid.

On Wednesday, India reported 56,211 Covid-19 cases within 24 hours, taking the country’s tally to above 1.20 crore, according to Union Health Ministry data. The Maharashtra government last week issued new rules and restrictions to curb the further spread of the virus. These rules mention that cinema halls, malls, auditoriums and restaurants will shut down by 8 pm. These new restrictions will remain in force till April 15.

Actor Ajaz Khan Arrested by Narcotics Control Bureau for Alleged Link in Drugs Case

BY Anindita Banerjee On

Actor Ajaz Khan was arrested by the Mumbai unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) on Wednesday for his alleged association with the Batata Gang, ANI reported. He was detained on Tuesday night from the Mumbai airport.

According to the news agency, NCB officials said 4.5 grams of Alprozol tablets were recovered from his house during a search. However, the officials informed ANI that he was mainly arrested for his association with the Batata Gang. “Only four sleeping pills were found at my home. My wife has suffered a miscarriage and is using these pills as antidepressants,” ANI quoted Khan as saying.

According to MedlinePlus, Alprazolam is used to treat anxiety disorders and panic disorders (sudden, unexpected attacks of extreme fear and worry about these attacks).

ANI stated that Khan was arrested after eight hours of interrogation. The NCB has raided two other places in relation to this case.

Khan’s arrest came in the wake of NCB nabbing Shadab Batata, son of Farooq Batata, one of Mumbai’s biggest drug peddler. According to Mumbai Mirror, drugs worth Rs 2 crore were recovered from Shadab Batata. The report also mentioned that Shadab Batata was associated with the drug business for a long time and would supply drugs to Hindi film celebrities.

Khan, who has previously participated in the controversial reality show Bigg Boss, was earlier charged with possession of banned narcotics substances and arrested after the Navi Mumbai’s Anti-Narcotics Cell found eight ecstasy tablets in his possession. In July 2019, he was arrested for making objectionable statements during a Facebook live session that could allegedly have caused enmity among communities. In April 2020, he was arrested for allegedly uploading an objectionable post on Facebook. In 2016, he was arrested for allegedly sending obscene photos and lewd messages to a hairstylist. Later, he was released on a bail of Rs 10,000.

Britney Spears Says She was “Embarrassed” by New York Times Documentary

BY Namrata Ganguly On

Britney Spears, the American singer and songwriter, wrote on Wednesday that she was “embarrassed” after watching The New York Times documentary titled Framing Britney streaming on Hulu. 

According to The New York Times, Framing Britney is an “examination of the Free Britney movement by the fans of the pop singer”. The documentary is part of an episode of a series of documentaries titled The New York Times Presents and was released on February 5 on OTT platforms FX and Hulu. 

The documentary featured interviews of a long-term family friend who said people couldn’t put a tag on their relation. Confused between elder sister, best friend, and mother; they fixed at “assistant” as she travelled with Spears for a major part of her career. The marketing executive who originally created Spears’ image, her lawyer who was working on the conservatorship at the time and another lawyer who Spears wanted to fight her case conservatorship to challenge her father during the early days, among others.

Besides her rise from a child singer to one of the biggest pop singers during the era of boy bands and her consequent downfall, the documentary also focuses on her struggles, the media coverage scrutinising and judging her life decisions, her fans’ initialising #FreeBritney movement and her conservatorship case against her father.

What is conservatorship? 

The documentary defined conservatorship at the beginning of the video as “one that preserves from injury or violation, protector” and “a person, official, or institution designated to take over and protect the interests of an incompetent”.

In 2008, at the age of 26, Spears entered into a temporary conservatorship or guardianship with her father following several media meltdowns. It gave her father, Jamie Spears, control over her financial affairs, estate and her personal life. After over a decade, she filed a petition to detach herself from her father and entered into a legal battle against the conservatorship accusing him of several issues, especially financial independence and mental health.

Following the release of Framing Britney, Hollywood actor and singer Justin Timberlake apologised to her and singer Janet Jackson in the wake of accusations of sexism and misogyny against him through an Instagram post as “the first step”.

Spears took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a dance with a long caption that began with: “My life has always been very speculated” and moved on to pen down how she was “watched” and “judged” her entire life. She wrote about how dancing kept her sane and how it took “a lot of strength to TRUST the universe with your real vulnerability cause I’ve always been so judged… insulted… and embarrassed by the media… and I still am till this day! As the world keeps on turning and life goes on we still remain so fragile and sensitive as people!”

Mentioning the documentary, Spears wrote that though she did not watch the documentary, from what she saw of it, she was “embarrassed by the light they put me in”.

“I cried for two weeks and well. I still cry sometimes! I do what I can in my own spirituality with myself to try and keep my own joy. love. and happiness! Every day dancing brings me joy! I’m not here to be perfect… perfect is boring. I’m here to pass on kindness,” she wrote.

Actor Ajay Devgn Denies Being Caught in Brawl in New Delhi, Says His “Doppelgänger” Got Into Trouble

BY Anindita Banerjee On

Ajay Devgn, the Hindi actor who will be seen in the film RRR, took to Twitter on Monday to respond to rumours alleging that he was involved in a fight in New Delhi recently.

In a recent video, two groups of people can be seen engaged in a brawl in New Delhi’s Aerocity area on March 26. According to comments on social media, one of the persons being beaten up resembled Devgn.

Responding to the speculations, Devgn wrote on Twitter: “Some ‘doppelgänger’ of mine seems to have got into trouble. I’ve been getting concerned calls. Just clarifying, I’ve not traveled anywhere. All reports regarding me being in any brawl are baseless.”

The video was first uploaded by India Today on March 27 and their report stated that a clash broke out between two groups after a car crashed into another. Two people were arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with this case, according to a report by NDTV.

“Those arrested were identified as Taranjit Singh (31), a resident of Janakupuri who deals in sale and purchase of cars and Naveen Kumar (29), a resident of Chhawla village who is a property dealer. Both of them have no previous criminal history,” the NDTV report quoted the police as saying.

Recently, Devgn’s car was stopped in Mumbai for around 15 minutes by a man claiming to be a supporter of the farmers’ protest. In a video, the man was heard asking the actor how he could hate Punjab. The incident took place after several Hindi film actors posted similar-worded tweets in support of the government after international pop star Rihanna tweeted wondering why nothing was being said about the internet shutdown in parts of New Delhi amid the ongoing protest against the new farm laws.

Apart from SS Rajamouli’s RRR, in which he will make an extended cameo appearance, Devgn will also be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi, starring Alia Bhatt in the lead.

Actor VR Dinesh to Make His Directorial Debut With ‘Vayiruda’

BY Anusha Sundar On

VR Dinesh, the Tamil actor who is popularly known as Attakathi Dinesh, will be making his directorial debut with the Tamil film Vayiruda, the actor announced on social media on Monday. Dinesh will also be starring in the film.

The film’s cast and crew members have not yet been announced. However, the actor posted a first look poster featuring himself with a bow and arrow.

He also released a series of posters of the film, featuring a man meditating under a tree and sketches of natural landscapes.

When Silverscreen India contacted him, he said that the film was at the pre-production stage.

“There are starved stomachs, full stomachs and ultimately, every emotion is connected to the stomach. The film’s story will focus on this aspect. This is all that I can reveal at the moment,” Dinesh said.

Vayiru translates to stomach in Tamil.

“I am also acting in the film and the rest of the actors will be announced shortly. At the moment, we are in talks with Neelam Productions although nothing is final yet,” Dinesh said. Neelam Productions is the home banner of filmmaker Pa Ranjith.

Dinesh said he has written the script along with a few writers whose names will be revealed soon. He  added the cast will comprise newcomers and known faces.

Dinesh acted in several Tamil films, including E (2006), and Aadukalam (2011), before his breakthrough film Attakathi (2012), which was directed by Pa Ranjith. After the film was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, Dinesh went on to feature in several Tamil films including the thriller drama Tamizhuku En Ondrai Azhuthavum (2015) and action crime film Kabali (2016). He was also part of Vetri Maaran’s Visaranai (2015) that won a National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil in 2016. He was last seen in the comedy-drama Naanum Single Thaan that released this February.

Joji: Actor Fahadh Faasil’s New Malayalam Film to Release on Amazon Prime Video on April 7

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Fahadh Faasil-starrer Malayalam film Joji will release on April 7 on Amazon Prime Video, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday, while releasing the film’s teaser.

A fourth collaboration between the actor, director Dileesh Pothan and scriptwriter Syam Pushkaran, the film is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

According to the press release, the plot is filled with “greed, ambition, murder, and mystery”. The story revolves around Joji (played by Faasil) an engineering dropout and the youngest son of the rich plantation owing family, who aspires to become a wealthy NRI. But his father looks down on him and considers him a loser. Driven by greed and blind ambition, Joji decides to execute his plans following an unexpected event in the family.

Speaking about his character, the C U Soon actor who has made a mark in the thriller genre, said, “The moment I got to know about my character and his journey, I knew I had to be a part of the movie. I love to watch movies with unconventional plot twists, and Joji definitely packs in some surprises. I give myself enough time to understand my character and essentially become it, but Joji is one such character that had an edge to it which made the role interesting and appealing to me.”

Previously, the actor-director-writer trio has delivered hits like Maheshinte Prathikaaram, Kumbalangi Nights, and Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum.

“The story will keep audiences hooked till the end,” the director said in a statement.

Joji also stars Baburaj, Shammi Thilakan, Alistar Alex, Unnimaya Prasad, Basil Joseph, and Sunny PN. The film was reportedly shot primarily in Mundakkayam and Erumeli in Kerala.

The film is produced by Bhavana Studios in association with Fahadh Faasil and Friends & Working Class Hero.

Vishal Bhardwaj’s 2004 Hindi film Maqbool, starring Irrfan Khan, Tabu and Pankaj Kapur in lead roles, was also based on the Shakespearean tragedy.

Vakeel Saab Trailer Starring Pawan Kalyan

Cast – Pawan Kalyan, Prakash Raj, Shruti Haasan, Nivetha Thomas, Anjali, Ananya Nagalla
Writer and Director – Sriram Venu
Banners- Sri Venkateswara Creations, Bay View Projects
Producers- Raju, Shirish
Co-Producer – Harshith Reddy
Presenter – BoneyKapoor
DOP – P S Vinod
Music – Thaman S ‬
Production Design – Rajeevan
Editor – Prawin Pudi
Dialogues – Thiru
Action – Ravi Verma

Sasikumar to Collaborate With Director Sathyasiva for Tamil Film

BY Anusha Sundar On

Director-actor Sasikumar will be collaborating with filmmaker Sathyasiva for an upcoming Tamil film, Sathyasiva told Silverscreen India on Monday.

While the official announcement of the film is yet to be made, the untitled project will be produced by Chendur Film International banner. It will mark Sasikumar’s first collaboration with Sathyasiva.

Sathyasiva has previously directed the 2012 Tamil comedy thriller Kazhugu and its sequel in 2019.

Speaking to Silverscreen India, Sathyasiva said, “The film is in its pre-production stage. Chendur Films, which is backing the film, is planning to announce the project with a concept of the film shortly. They are planning to launch the film along with a promo of the film.”

Sathyasiva added that the announcement of the film will be made after the results of the upcoming 16th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections are announced.

“As of now, we have decided to launch the film in May,” he said.

The poll in Tamil Nadu will be held on April 6 in a single phase and the results will be announced on May 2.

Asked about the film’s genre, Sathyasiva said, “The script is yet to be finished. There are several rounds of discussions that are happening now. Hence, I do not want to give the wrong information about what genre the film will be.”

Sasikumar started his career as the actor and director of the commercially successful the Tamil action period drama Subramaniapuram (2008). He also wrote and produced the film. Sasikumar was last seen in the 2020 action drama Naadodigal 2. It was the sequel of his 2009 film by the same name. Sasikumar, who predominantly works as an actor, will be seen in the upcoming rural drama MGR Magan directed by Ponram alongside Mirnalini Ravi and Sathyaraj. He also has a Tamil biopic film with P Virumandi in the pipeline.

Biriyaani: Director Sajin Baabu Alleges Theatres of Dissuading Audience to Watch His Film

BY Anindita Banerjee On

Sajin Baabu, the director and writer of the independent Malayalam film Biryani which has won over 20 awards in several film festivals, alleged that theatre owners in Kerala were deliberately “trying to cut off shows” of the film.

Biryaani released in theatres on March 26.

In a Facebook post, Sajin wrote that he had been receiving complaints about some theatres cancelling shows or dissuading people from watching his film. He wrote that posters were being removed from some theatres to make it look like the film was no longer being screened. He alleged that when people tried to book tickets at the theatre counters, they were encouraged to watch other running films instead, terming Biriyaani as “bad” and “obscene”.

Talking to Silverscreen India, the director said theatre owners were behaving like a “super censor board”.

“Theatre owners, managers, and the staff are deciding by themselves that the film is not good and that people should not watch it. We had already taken a censor certificate so it was mentioned in the posters and everywhere else that it is an ‘A’ rated film. After Qube and UFO have given the film file to theatres, the owners and staff are watching the movie and deciding to not release it. When I contacted the theatre association president about this, he said he doesn’t have any knowledge regarding this and is not ready to talk,” he said.

When Silverscreen India contacted K Vijayakumar, president of Kerala Film Chamber, he was unavailable for comment.

Sajin mentioned that the film was able to get a theatrical release after “enduring a lot of financial difficulties and hardships”.

“We released in only 28 theatres throughout Kerala and out of that, 10 of them are not ready to screen the film,” he said.

The director said his film was facing the most difficulty in getting a screening in the Malabar region of Kerala.

Asked what the theatre owners were finding offensive in the film, Sajin said the “patriarchal society” was to be blamed for it. “Mostly it’s the men who aren’t liking the film because it is from the point of view of a woman. Biryaani explores a woman’s sexuality, her orgasms, the core reality which is often not talked about.”

In another post, he shared a screenshot that said that the film was being pirated.

Adding that he has barely received any support from the Malayalam film industry, Sajin said that the only respite for the film was OTT. He informed that some platforms have approached him and he was yet to make a decision regarding the same. He will also be releasing the film next week in Chennai, Coimbatore, Mangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata.

“It’s 80% confirmed that from 2nd April onwards we will release in these cities,” he said.

Produced by UN Film House, Biriyaani stars Kani Kusruti in the lead role. Her role won her the Kerala State Award for Best Actress in 2020. Karthik Muthukumar is the film’s cinematographer and the film has been edited by Appu N Bhattathiri.

Mrs Undercover: Radhika Apte to Play a Spy in Her Next Film

BY Anindita Banerjee On

Radhika Apte, the actor who was last seen in the Disney+ Hotstar series Ok Computer, took to Instagram to announce her next film, a spy thriller titled Mrs Undercover.

The film, written and helmed by debutant director Anushree Mehta, will star Sumeet Vyas and Rajesh Sharma.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Radhika (@radhikaofficial)

Apte said in a statement that she was surprised with the film’s “novelty”, according to PTI.

“When I saw this first look, it was that same excitement I felt and it was not only as someone who is a part of the film but also as a member of the audience,” she said in the statement.

Talking about the film, Mehta said: “The title, the poster, the imagery is a long-thought process to make people excited. I am so glad that I found an actor like Radhika Apte to play the titular character.”

The film is presented by B4U Motion Pictures, Jaadugar Films, and Knight Sky Movies.

Abir Sengupta, who directed the Kiara Advani-starrer Indoo ki Jawani, will be producing Mrs Undercover, along with Ishan Saksena and Sunil Shah who have produced films like Pataakha and Baazaar, and Varun Bajaj who has produced the Abhishek Bachhan-starrer All is Well.

Meanwhile, Apte was recently seen as an undercover agent Noor Inayat Khan in Amazon Prime Video’s film A Call to Spy. The film, which marked Apte’s international debut, also starred Sarah Megan Thomas, Stana Katic, Linus Roache, Rossif Sutherland.

She was also seen as an Artificial Intelligence scientist in the sci-fi comedy series Ok Computer. Created and directed by Pooja Shetty and Neil Pagedar, the series also starred Jackie Shroff, Rasika Dugal, Vijay Varma, and Kani Kusruti. The actor, who has worked in Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu films was nominated for the Best Actress award at the International Emmy Awards for her performance in Lust Stories in 2019.

Naai Sekar: Comedian Vadivelu to Reunite With Director Suraj for His Comeback Tamil Film

BY Anusha Sundar On

Vadivelu, the comedian who was last seen in the 2017 action drama film Mersal, is expected to make his comeback with filmmaker Suraj’s upcoming Tamil film Naai Sekar, according to DT Next.

No official announcement, however, has been made yet.

According to the report, the film is named after a character from the comedian’s role in the Tamil film Thalai Nagaram (2006), also directed by Suraj. Naai Sekar will be a spin-off series of Thalai Nagaram.

The role, which earned Vadivelu appreciation, became a cult comical character in the Tamil comedy space. His dialogue from the film, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, went on to become the title of filmmaker Vignesh Shivan’s romantic comedy film in 2015.

Naai Sekar, which will be shot in a single stretch, will go on floors from April, the report added.

Naai Sekar will mark Vadivelu’s fourth collaboration with Suraj. They had collaborated in Tamil action comedies, including Marudhamalai (2007), and Kaththi Sandai (2016).

While Thalai Nagaram also featured filmmaker Sundar C, actors Prakash Raj and Jyothirmayi, the cast of Naai Sekhar is yet to be revealed.

In 2018, Vadivelu was banned from being cast in Tamil films, after he allegedly refused to co-operate with the makers of Imsai Arasan 24am Pulikecei, a sequel to his 2006 hit comedy film Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei. The film’s producer Shankar, and director Chimbu Deven had approached the Tamil Film Producers Council for a dialogue after Vadivelu refused to cooperate with them citing creative differences. Vadivelu did not respond to the negotiation. When the council gave an ultimatum to Vadivelu to either resume shooting or pay Rs 9 crore as relief, he refused to do. He was subsequently banned from being cast in Tamil films.

Suraj is known for making several comedy films, including the Dhanush starrer Mappillai (2011), and Padikkadavan (2009).

Silverscreen India tried to contact Suraj, and Vadivelu, but they were unavailable for comment.

Aanum Pennum Review: Nothing Exceptional In This Star-Studded Anthology

BY Aswathy Gopalakrishnan On

Two working-class women and a modern college student navigate a male-dominated world in Aanum Pennum (Man and Woman), a Malayalam anthology film. The inner strength of the women and the choices they make stun their male counterparts. In Savithri, the woman has sworn to make the world a better place while the men around her, who live in an archaic world, cannot see beyond her body. In Raachiyamma, she represents a fierce sense of independence that men cannot fathom. In Rani, the woman walks past her timid lover, perhaps to freedom.

Despite its semi-arthouse look and a significant overall theme, Aanum Pennum comes across as a fragile work that does not realise the potential of its resources. The films are not held together by a rhythm. They lack warmth and are too contained to shake up the viewers.

By casting top-billed actors, the filmmakers have it easy to take the offbeat stories to the mainstream. The lengthiest of the three, Savithri, written by Santhosh Echikkanam and directed by Jay K, has the widest and the most embellished canvas. It is a period piece, set at the end of the 1940s. A young woman (Samyuktha Menon) flees after witnessing her house being torched by a mob in the middle of the night. The police are hot on her heels. She moves into a traditional Nair bungalow as a domestic help. The women in the family are meek witnesses to the misanthropic deeds of the men in their life. The head of the house (Joju George) and his younger brother (Vineeth Viswom) circle the young woman, enchanted by her beauty. But the woman has bigger plans on her mind. Her body is her weapon.

The narrative is built on a pile of clichés and Menon’s acting is disastrously flat in critical areas. But there are more glaring problems in the film’s formal language. It trains the audience to see things from the woman’s perspective from the beginning, but once the landlord enters the picture, the gaze turns brutally male. Every time he stares at her perversely, the audience is forced to participate in the act as the camera closely scans her body. Savithri undoes the fundamental idea behind this anthology.

A literary masterpiece doesn’t necessarily convert into a cinematic masterpiece. Cinematographer-director Venu’s Raachiyamma is a flat adaptation of writer Uroob’s splendid short story of the same title. Kutti Krishnan (Asif Ali), the new manager of a tea estate in Wayanad, falls in love with Raachiyamma (Parvathy), a sharp-tongued dairy farmer. She has a booming voice and casual demeanour that stirs up the air around her. She reciprocates his feelings, but the man, unable to find the courage to take the relationship forward, breaks her heart. In Uroob’s work, the woman is a motif of nature that disintegrates and reconstructs itself in a perpetual cycle, responding to the time. When Kutti Krishnan re-meets Raachiyamma next time after several years, he is intimidated by her wisdom and independence.

But the film is radically different from the text. Uroob’s gorgeous, rich description of the landscape means nothing to Venu who directs his attention solely towards the broad strokes of an abruptly-ended romance. The images are overtly sharp; the lush green landscape of Wayanad gets a grotesque digital coating.

Uroob’s Raachiyamma grasps a night of intimacy from him with a sense of urgency. In a sharp line, she expresses her worldview to him, “Aren’t we human beings? We are not made of clay!” In Venu’s altered version of the story, she embodies compassion and platonic love, but in the process, Venu’s Raachiyamma is without the gorgeous complexity Uroob weaved into his work.

Parvathy’s performance as the protagonist is cheerful and consistent but stagey to the extent that she hogs the entire frame instead of becoming a part of it. She brings a zing to the film but her body language is stiff. Asif Ali has come a long way, from a naive performer who did every character with the monotonous loudness to a specialist in underplaying.

Aashiq Abu’s Rani, written by Unni R, has several uproarious moments. A bed-ridden woman (Kaviyoor Ponnamma, in the most rebellious role she has done in decades) eggs on her husband (Nedumudi Venu) to give her the details of a salacious incident that he witnessed that afternoon. A young man (Roshan Mathew) begs his girlfriend (Darshana Rajendran) to cover her face using a scarf because he is scared of being judged by onlookers. She is the practical one in the relationship. He cannot think beyond his genitals.

Rani isn’t really about the woman but her timid lover who gets a taste of the medicine the male-dominated world has, since ever, used to control women. When the tragedy strikes, he feels more powerless and terrified than the woman.

The film is constructed without concern for logic, as a build-up to its final image that is provocative and compelling. But among the three, Rani is the only film that harnesses the strengths of the short film medium.

*****

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

NAACP Image Awards: Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis Win Best Actor in Lead Roles

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Chadwick Boseman, the late American actor best known for his role in Black Panther, won two acting awards posthumously at the 52nd NAACP Image Awards on Saturday.

The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People is a US-based organisation that celebrates and honours the contribution of Black artists across literature, music, films and television, in over 40 categories.

Boseman and Viola Davis won the awards for the best actors in leading roles for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

Boseman also won the best supporting actor award for his role in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods.

While receiving the awards on behalf of the late actor, his wife Simone Ledward Boseman also spoke about the need to spread awareness regarding colon cancer. Boseman died of colon cancer in 2020.

“Black people are 20% more likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer and 40% more likely to die from it. This disease is beatable if you catch it in its early stages… You are so needed and so loved. Please take your health into your own hands,” she said.

While Will Smith and Martin Lawrence-starrer Bad Boys for Life won the best motion picture award, Issa Rae’s series on HBO won her the best actress in a comedy series as well as the best comedy series awards.

Davis also won the best actress in a drama series for ABC’s How to Get Away With Murder, while Bridgerton‘s Rege-Jean Page won the male counterpart.

Hosted for the eighth consecutive year by Anthony Anderson from a Los Angeles studio, the event was addressed by US President Joe Biden and US Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Black culture is American culture, Black history is American history, and Black stories are essential to the ongoing stories of America… To tonight’s nominees, thank you for also helping us to see what America can be,” Biden said.

Stressing on the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Harris said, “As a nation, we are at a major turning point. We have surpassed more than 100 million shots in arms. We have sent out more than one million checks. And we are making historic investments in schools, small businesses and communities throughout the country. And still there’s so much more to be done, so tonight let us celebrate and tomorrow let’s get back to work.”

Former US first lady Michelle Obama presented the first Social Justice Impact award to Stacey Abrams, praising Abrams for knowing that “organising on the ground is the best way to crack a ceiling”.

Former NBA player Lebron James was honoured with the President’s Award for his achievements in athletics and entrepreneurship.

While the nominees and winners appeared remotely via video, presenters appeared from iconic locations in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta, and the event was held over five nights.

Filmfare Awards 2021: ‘Thappad’ Wins Big With 7 Awards, Irrfan Khan Wins Best Actor Posthumously

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Thappad, the critically acclaimed Hindi film starring Taapsee Pannu, bagged seven awards at the 66th Filmfare Awards that was held on Saturday. The Anubhav Sinha directorial won the awards for best film, best actor in the leading role (female), best playback singer, best story, best editing, best sound design, and best background score.

The event saw only a few actors from the Hindi film industry in attendance. It was hosted by actors Riteish Deshmukh and Rajkummar Rao. Late actor Irrfan Khan was posthumously awarded the best actor in the leading role (male) for Angrezi Medium, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award. Khan’s son, Baabil, received the award on behalf of his father.

Eeb Allay Oo! won the Critics Best Film award.

 

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A post shared by Taapsee Pannu (@taapsee)

Shoojit Sircar’s Gulaabo Sitabo, featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and Amitabh Bachchan, also bagged several awards. The film won in the best actor in the leading role (male), best supporting actor female, best dialogue, best production design, best costume design, and best cinematography.

Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior won the best director award, and the best actor in supporting role (male).

The event saw actors like Ayushmann Khurrana, Tamannaah Bhatia, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sara Ali Khan, Daisy Shah, Taapsee Pannu, Nora Fatehi, Urvashi Rautela, Mithila Palkar, Sanjana Sanghi, singer Dhvani Bhanushali and Sunny Leone, among others, in attendance. Alaya F, who won the best debutant award female for Jawaani Jaaneman, was also present.

While a lot of actors did not turn up because of the Covid- 19 pandemic, actors like Ayushmann Khurrana, Nora Fatehi, Sunny Leone, Sara Ali Khan, and Hrithik Roshan performed at the event.

The list of winners include:

Best Film

Thappad

Best Director

Om Raut (Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior)

Best Film (Critics)

Prateek Vats (Eeb Allay Ooo!)

Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male)

Irrfan Khan (Angrezi Medium)

Best Actor (Critics)

Amitabh Bachchan (Gulabo Sitabo)

Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female)

Taapsee Pannu (Thappad)

Best Actress (Critics)

Tillotama Shome (Sir)

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male)

Saif Ali Khan (Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior)

Best Actor In A Supporting Actor Role (Female)

Farrokh Jaffar (Gulabo Sitabo)

Best Story

Anubhav Sushila Sinha and Mrunmayee Lagoo Waikul (Thappad)

Best Screenplay

Rohena Gera (Sir)

Best Dialogue

Juhi Chaturvedi (Gulabo Sitabo)

Best Debut Director

Rajesh Krishnan (Lootcase)

Best Debut Female

Alaya F (Jawaani Jaaneman)

Best Music Album

Pritam (Ludo)

Best Lyrics

Gulzar- Chhapaak (Chhapaak)

Best Playback Singer (Male)

Raghav Chaitanya (Ek Tukda Dhoop from Thappad)

Best Playback Singer (Female)

Asees Kaur- Malang (Malang)

Lifetime Achievement Award

Irrfan Khan

Best Action

Ramazan Bulut, Rp Yadav (Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior)

Best Background Score

Mangesh Urmila Dhakde (Thappad)

Best Cinematography

Avik Mukhopadhayay (Gulabo Sitabo)

Best Choreography

Farah Khan- Dil Bechara (Dil Bechara)

Best Costume Design

Veera Kapur Ee (Gulabo Sitabo)

Best Editing

Yasha Pushpa Ramchandani (Thappad)

Best Production Design

Manasi Dhruv Mehta (Gulabo Sitabo)

Best Sound Design

Kaamod Kharade (Thappad)

Best VFX

Prasad Sutar (Ny Vfx Wala) (Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior)

Short Film Awards

Best Film (Fiction)

Shivraj Waichal (Arjun )

Best Film (Non-Fiction)

Nitesh Ramesh Parulekar (Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary)

Best Actor (Female)

Purti Savardekar (The First Wedding)

Best Actor (Male)

Arnav Abdagire (Arjun)

Best Film (Popular Choice)

Devi

Two Distant Strangers: Oscar-Nominated Short Film to Release on Netflix on April 9

BY Chandhini R On

Two Distant Strangers, an Oscar-nominated short film will premiere on Netflix on April 9, the streaming service announced on social media on Thursday while releasing the film’s trailer. 

The film has been nominated under the Best Live Action Short Film Category at the Oscars this year.  Directed by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe, the film stars Joey Badass, Andrew Howard and Zaria in pivotal roles.

According to Netflix, the plot reads, “In Two Distant Strangers, cartoonist Carter James’ repeated attempts to get home to his dog are thwarted by a recurring deadly encounter that forces him to re-live the same awful day over and over again.”  

Two Distant Strangers was written by director Free, a two-time Emmy Award winner for outstanding writing for a variety series The Daily Show in 2015 and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee in 2017. 

Director Roe was the executive producer for the serialised sports documentary, which won the Sports Emmy in 2019. He also collaborated with Free for the first time in Tom vs Time web series. 

According to Deadline, the director duo said that the film was shot in five days amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “Two Distant Strangers tackles a tough subject for everyone, but in an effort to forge a new direction in the conversation,” they said.

The film is produced by three-time Oscar nominee Lawrence Bender, who was part of the production team of Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, Inglourious Basterds and several others.

The film is competing the Oscars alongside Feeling Through, The Letter Room, The Present and White Eye.

The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will be held on April 25 and will be streamed live from multiple locations

Spencer: Jack Farthing Cast as Prince Charles in Film Based on Princess Diana

BY Anusha Sundar On

Spencer, the upcoming biographical film starring American actor Kristen Stewart as the late Princess of Wales, Diana, will feature English actor Jack Farthing as Charles, the Prince of Wales and Diana’s former husband, reported Deadline.

The film is directed by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín. The makers released another photo of Stewart as Diana.

According to the report, the film, which is in its last leg of shooting in the UK, is based on a specific part of Diana’s life when she spends a Christmas weekend holiday with the Royal family at their Sandringham estate in Norfolk, UK. The instance sparks the late Princess to quit her marriage.

The film has also been shot in Germany. It is expected to release later this year.

The year 2022 marks the 25th death anniversary of Diana. She died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.

The film is written by British screenwriter Steven Knight. It is produced by Juan de Dios Larraín for Fabula Films, Paul Webster under Shoebox Films banner and Jonas Dornbach and Janine Jackowski for Komplizen Film.

Spencer also features Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins, and Sean Harris.

The film comes at a time when the Royal family is being talked about. While the recent Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry, Princess Diana’s youngest son, and his wife Meghan Markle talked about the their struggles and disappointments with the Royal family, the fourth season of The Crown series on Netflix focused on Diana and her inability to cope with her husband and the alleged indifference she faced from the Royal family. The season led to a backlash from fans against the Royal family, with UK’s Cultural Secretary Oliver Dowden asking Netflix to warn viewers of the fictional nature of the show. However, the streaming service refused to add a disclaimer.

One Review: Mammootty’s Fine Performance The Only Silver Lining In A Witless Political Movie

BY Aswathy Gopalakrishnan On

One, starring Malayalam superstar Mammootty and directed by Santhosh Viswanath, opens with a shot of a giant cut-out of Kadakkal Chandran (Mammootty), towering above Thiruvananthapuram, surveilling every movement of his people like an old patriarch. He is the state’s chief minister, the son of a barber and a loyal left-wing party worker for decades, an oddball in a political space teeming with corrupt men. 

Even before he appears on the screen and before the narrative provides the audience with a comprehensive picture, the viewer might feel that they are familiar with Chandran. Viswanath and his writers Bobby and Sanjay create this illusion of familiarity by drawing heavily on the public persona of Mammootty and Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. 

In the film’s opening sequence, Chandran is referred to as a redoubtable man who keeps a tight rein on every state institution. His opponents mock him for his caste identity. Several people describe him as a single-minded individual who wouldn’t do anything he doesn’t want to do. 

The audience is also privy to the fact that he, in private, is a gentle human being who watches out for the people around him.  To those who are familiar with Malayalam pop culture, this is a common real-life trope that makes up the public image of Mammootty, the superstar. 

To sit through One, the viewer has to give in to the cynical view that politics is essentially a corrupt and amoralist enterprise. But the film isn’t a Vellimoonga that asks the audience to laugh at the politicians and the cycle of corruption they perpetuate. Everything is starkly black and white in One. Chandran is perfection. A leader too good to be true. His fellow politicians are the bribe-taking unscrupulous kind. The toughest battles Chandran has to fight aren’t against nature or outside forces but his party members and the opposition party leaders. 

The narrative is informally divided into brief episodes. Chandran solves the grievances that come to him and overcomes the challenges to his position. Viswanath and his writers choose sentimentalism over an objective perspective of the procedural part of state administration. You see several vignettes from the chief minister’s life. Chandran riding on a public bus to confront the hooligans on a hartal day. Chandran taking an auto-rickshaw to reach the venue of a college anniversary day celebration. Chandran backing a top vigilance officer in his mission to arrest a corrupt minister in his cabinet. Chandran sharing a packet of roasted groundnuts with a college-goer. This might be the lengthiest election campaign video Kerala has ever seen. 

This utopian characterisation often blurs the line between a drama and a spoof. In his introductory scene, the chief minister is presented like an aristocratic figure, completely in disagreement with the concept of democracy. When a young woman (Gayathri Arun), the sister of a young boy the chief minister is fond of, is arrested by the cops on false charges, Chandran and his entourage storm into the station and saves the girl, like that old djinn who comes to the rescue of his buddies when they remember him.

Like many mainstream political and social dramas, One assumes that the general public is a unidimensional entity with a perfect moral compass. An unreliable television news channel survey is projected as an all-encompassing “voice of the public”. When Chandran makes a moving appeal at the state assembly to pass a questionable bill, the politicians sneer at him. But the public, assembled in the overhead visitors’ gallery, applaud and mark their admiration for Chandran. 

But is the electorate as simplistic or righteous as Viswanath depicts it? In a society that is divided into countless bands, legislators aren’t chosen exclusively for their adherence to ethics or their work. Not always are good deeds applauded, rightly interpreted or acknowledged thanks to this complex nature of society. Writers Sanjay and Bobby have repeatedly spread this fallacy in their scripts, using public opinion as a revolutionary tool that solves complex problems. 

The film’s biggest strength is its remarkable supporting cast, an interesting mix that includes Joju George, Jagadeesh, Nimisha Sajayan and debutante Ishaani Krishna. Several prominent faces, like veteran actor Madhu and KTS Padannayil, make cameo appearances. Although none of them gets unforgettable moments in the narrative, the actors add a lot of elegance to the film.

It is easy to see why Mammootty is a superstar who stood the test of time. He effortlessly surpasses the limitations of mediocre writing by recognising the old-fashioned mass hero qualities of Chandran. The actor possesses masterly control over his body language. In the scene where he realises that a neurological disorder has recurred, he barely moves. As he stands on the corridor, trying to gain a grip over his memory, nearly invisible strains of anxiety flashes on his face. In a film that gradually disintegrates in its self-righteousness, Mammootty manages to create a delicate memorable moment. The sole reason to invest time in this movie. 

*****

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