Section: Movies

Chiranjeevi’s Telugu Remake of ‘Lucifer’ to Go on Floors From April

BY Anusha Sundar On

Lucifer, the hit 2019 Malayalam political thriller film which is being remade in Telugu starring Chiranjeevi Konidela in the lead role, will go on floors from April, the makers announced on social media on Monday.

This will be Chiranjeevi’s 153rd film.

The film was launched in January. Filmmaker Mohan Raja, who is collaborating with Chiranjeevi for the first time, will direct the film. Mohan’s filmography includes several remakes, including the 2004 Tamil comedy sports drama M Kumaran Son of Mahalakshmi, 2008 Tamil romance drama Santosh Subramaniam, the 2010 Tamil action comedy Thillalangadi, all starring his brother Jayam Ravi.

Lucifer’s remake also marks the director’s comeback to Telugu films, after his action-comedy film Hanuman Junction (2001).

The Malayalam version was directed by actor Prithviraj Sukumaran in his directorial debut. Chiranjeevi will reprise the role of Mohanlal. The remake is backed by NV Prasad, Konidela Productions, and Megaa Super Good Films. While the makers are yet to announce the rest of the cast and crew members, it was announced in January that S Thaman will be composing the film’s music. Nirav Shah is the cinematographer.

Speaking to Silverscreen India, the film’s publicity manager Vamsi Shekar said, “The team is planning to commence shooting in April but it is not fully confirmed. But, if they start, the filming will take place in and around Hyderabad for the initial schedules. Announcements on a few artists and technicians’ names will take place at the month-end.”

Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi is also working in the Telugu action-drama film Acharya alongside his son Ram Charan, Kajal Aggarwal, and Pooja Hegde. The film is written and directed by Koratala Siva. The actor is also reported to be collaborating with director Meher Ramesh for the Telugu remake of Ajith-starrer Vedalam.

Ram Setu: Amazon Prime Video Collaborates With Lyca Productions for Akshay Kumar’s Upcoming Film

BY Anindita Banerjee On

Lyca Productions on Tuesday announced that they will be co-producing actor Akshay Kumar‘s upcoming Hindi film Ram Setu alongside Cape of Good Films and Abundantia Entertainment. The film, which is being co-produced by Amazon Prime Video, will be the streaming platform’s first production venture, the OTT platform said on Tuesday in a press release.

The film will be directed by Abhishek Sharma (Parmanu, Tere Bin Laden). The film also stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Bharuccha.

Ram Setu will get a theatrical release before streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Lyca Productions said that the film’s first ceremonial shot would be filmed on Thursday.

Vijay Subramanium, director and head of content, Amazon Prime Video India, said, “Stories that are entrenched in Indian soil have often found an audience not only in India but across the world, and we are delighted to further take a step into co-producing by collaborating with a film that highlights our Indian heritage. Our collaboration with Vikram Malhotra and Abundantia Entertainment as well as with Akshay Kumar till date has been unique and highly successful; and with this step, we move into the direction of further deepening and strengthening our association.”

Billed as an action-adventure, Ram Setu revolves around the mythical bridge that the Hindu god Ram was said to have built between India and Sri Lanka to rescue his wife Sita from the demon god Ravan.

“The story of Ram Setu is one that has always intrigued and inspired me: it represents strength, bravery and love, and uniquely Indian values that have formed the moral and social fabric of our great country. Ram Setu is a bridge between generations past, present, and future,” Subramanium said in the statement. 

Recently, several cases were filed against the makers of Tandav, Amazon Prime Video’s latest web series starring Saif Ali Khan, for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, insulting Hindu gods and goddesses, inciting communal violence, and showcasing a wrong image of the Uttar Pradesh Police.  While the OTT platform apologised for the same, they were asked to edit out the offending scenes by the Information and Broadcast Ministry.

Actor Jude Law Starts Shooting for ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ in Vancouver

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Jude Law, the English actor who played Dr Watson in the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, began shooting Disney’s live-action fantasy film, Peter Pan and Wendy, in Vancouver on Wednesday.

Based on JM Barrie’s novel Peter and Wendy and inspired by the 1953 animated classic, Peter Pan & Wendy will premiere on Disney+ in 2022, as per a statement released by Disney. Law will be playing Captain Hook in the film.

Directed by David Lowery, the film will also star Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell, Ever Anderson as Wendy, Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, Molly Parker as Mrs Darling, Alan Tudyk as Mr Darling, newcomers Joshua Pickering as John, Jacobi Jupe as Michael, Alyssa Wapanatâhk as Tiger Lily, and Jim Gaffigan as Smee.

“Peter Pan has long been one of my favourite stories, partially because I’ve always resisted growing up, but also because of the heart, adventure and imagination that makes JM Barrie’s original tale so evergreen,” David Lowery said in a statement.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to redefine his iconic characters for a new generation – and even more excited that I get to do so with such an exceptional cast and crew,” he said.

As per Disney’s synopsis, the film is the “timeless tale of a young girl who, defying her parents’ wishes to attend boarding school, travels with her two younger brothers to the magical Neverland. There, she meets a boy who refuses to grow up, a tiny fairy and an evil pirate captain, and they soon find themselves on a thrilling and dangerous adventure far, far away from their family and the comforts of home.”

Peter Pan and Wendy will be produced by Jim Whitaker, who has earlier collaborated with Lowery on 2016’s Pete’s Dragon.

The decision to release Peter Pan and Wendy directly on the OTT platform comes as an addition to the streaming giant’s list of projects pushed for direct-to-consumer strategy in order to increase its paid subscriber base. According to a Collider report, after the release and success of films like Mulan and Soul, Disney has decided to shift some of its key premieres to the digital platform. These include the upcoming releases Cruella, and Pinocchio.

Pattarude Mutton Curry: Kerala Brahmin Association Objects to Short Film’s Title, Says It Insults their Community

BY Anusha Sundar On

Pattarude Mutton Curry, the upcoming Malayalam short film directed by Arjun Babu, ran into trouble after some members of the Hindu Brahmin community wrote to the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) objecting to the film’s title claiming that it offended the community and requested for the film’s certification to be cancelled.

In their letter to the regional officer of CBFC, the All Kerala Brahmins Association said, “From the title, it appears that it is intended to insult the Brahmin community who are called as patters [derogatory Malayalam word for Brahmins] to insult them in a foul language. The fact that Brahmins are vegetarians is also known to all.”

They stated that using the word pattar along with mutton curry is intended to offend the community.

Credits: Karimpuzha Raman

Speaking to Silverscreen India, All Kerala Brahmins Association president Karimpuzha Raman said, “Pattar is a slang that is used to denote a Brahmin. First of all, that itself is wrong. It is not a way to call a Brahmin and is a very derogatory usage. From the title, it appears that it is intended to insult the Brahmin community who are called as pattars in an insulting language. The fact that Brahmins are vegetarians is a known fact. Thus, the usage of words pattar and mutton curry is intended to insult Brahmins.”

He said that if required the association will take up the matter with YouTube.

The title of the short film, which is set to release on YouTube on Saturday, has been changed to Mutton Curry.

“I talked to Ms Parvathy, who is the regional member of the CBFC, Trivandrum, and she assured me that they will not support such films and name and contents will be viewed before the release. We also sent our team from Trivandrum to meet Ms Parvathy to handover our appeal. In addition, Suresh Kumar, president of Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce had a talk with me today [Wednesday] morning  and assured that this film will not be screened or given permission in this name. They will go through and assured they will do the needful in regard to film which hurt our feelings,” Raman said.

Asked if he had spoken with the film’s director, Raman said that Arjun had assured to remove the word pattar from the title and had said that the film does not demean anybody.

However, Raman said that he will complain to YouTube if he finds the content derogatory.

“We are a pro-active association and we are progressive. We don’t believe caste system in a way, but when some talks bad about us, we can’t sit quietly. Nobody should be harassed,” Raman said.

Talking to Silverscreen India, Arjun said: “The only problem was the name and nothing else. There will be nothing derogatory content. It is a comedy film.”

The Kochi-based filmmaker, who has also written the film’s script, said that he was informed about the offending word in the title on March 13 following which he removed it.

Shakuntalam: Samantha Akkineni Starrer Telugu Period Film Launched in Hyderabad

BY Anusha Sundar On

Shakuntalam, the upcoming Telugu mythical period drama film starring Samantha Akkineni in the titular role, was launched in Hyderabad on Monday.

Shakunthalam is written and directed by Gunasekhar. The film will be produced by Dil Raju and Gunasekhar’s daughter Neelima Guna under Gunaa Team Works.

Shakunthalam will also feature Dev Mohan, who will be portraying the role of King Dushyant. The actor, who was previously seen in the 2020 Malayalam romantic film Sufiyum Sujatayum, will be making his Telugu debut with this film.

“With my first film with Aditi Rao Hydari and second with Samantha, I am happy to share the screen with big people. It is a critical and important character,” Dev said.

Addressing the media, Akkineni said she has always wanted to play a princess. “Ever since my childhood, if I was sad or upset, I used to watch Disney films. It is been my greatest strength. Even now, when I am free, I watch Disney films. it makes me feel better,” she said.

“There has been no reference for this role or film and every single thing is from the director’s head. I am excited to make his vision come true,” she added.

Speaking about Mohan, Gunasekhar said: “He had researched a lot for the film, including where skills like horse-riding and sword-fighting training would be available, either in Hyderabad or Kerala.”

 

The film’s publicity manager BA Raju told Silverscreen India that the film will go on floors on March 22. “Since it is a period drama, most of the shooting will happen within sets,” he said.

Oscars 2021: 2 Women Directors Nominated for the First Time, ‘Mank’ Leads With 10 Overall Nominations 

BY Anusha Sundar On

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which announced its nominees of the 93rd Oscars on Monday, created history by nominating two women filmmakers for the best director award- Chloé Zhao for Nomadland and Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman. However, it was Netflix’s Mank, starring Gary Oldman as Citizen Kane writer Herman Mankiewicz, that clinched the most number of nominations with a total count of 10.

Nominations in 23 categories were announced through live streaming by international actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas and her husband and singer Nick Jonas.

Riz Ahmed, the lead actor of the Amazon Prime Video film Sound of Metal, created history by becoming the first Muslim contender in the best actor in a leading role. Late actor Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Anthony Hopkins for The Father, Gary Oldman for Mank, and Steven Yeun for Minari were also been nominated in the same category.

In the best actress in the leading role category, Viola Davis who played the title character in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom led with the nominations, followed by Andra Day for The United States vs Billie Holiday, Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman, Frances McDormand for Nomadland, and Carey Mulligan for Promising Young Woman.

Soorarai Pottru, the Tamil film starring Suriya, however, could not make it to the nomination under the best international feature film category. Denmark’s Another Round, Better Days from Hong Kong, Collective from Romania, The Man Who Sold His Skin from Tunisia, and Quo Vadis, Aida from Bosnia and Herzegovina were nominated in the same category.

In the best direction category, Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round, David Fincher for Mank, and Lee Isaac Ching for Minari have been nominated, besides Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell. 

Chopra Jonas’s White Tiger, the film adaptation of the novel by the same name by Aravind Adiga was one of the contenders under the Best Adapted Screenplay category. Other competitors in the category are Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, The Father, Nomadland, and One Night in Miami.

The awards ceremony, which will be streamed live from multiple locations, will be held on April 25 and will be an in-person event. The host of the function has not yet been announced.

To see the full list of the nominations, click here.

Suresh Gopi, Actor and Politician, Hospitalised After Being Diagnosed With Pneumonia 

BY Anusha Sundar On

Suresh Gopi, the actor and politician who was last seen in the 2020 Malayalam comedy-drama Varane Avashyamund, is undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Kochi, Kerala after he was diagnosed with pneumonia on March 11.

The actor, who is in a stable condition, was shooting his upcoming Malayalam crime thriller film Paappan when he fell sick. Paappan is directed by Joshiy.

The 62-year-old actor is being treated at the Aster Medcity Hospital.

Sanju Padiyur, the production design controller of the Gopi’s other upcoming Malayalam film Kaaval, said that Suresh has tested negative for Covid-19.

Speaking to Silverscreen India, Sanju said, “He has been receiving treatment for the past four days and has been doing well. He has been advised to take plenty of rest. He will probably be discharged either today or tomorrow. He does not have a fever now.”

He said that shooting of Kaaval has been wrapped up.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Suresh Gopi (@sureshgopi)


According to Sanju, while the post-production of Kaaval is going on, Suresh is yet to finish dubbing for his portions that are scheduled next month.

Suresh will later be seen in Ottakkomban, a Malayalam action family drama film directed by Mathews Thomas.

Suresh is a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha representing the Bharatiya Janata Party. In the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly elections, he will be contesting from Thrissur.

“Since he is also an election candidate, he will not be going to film locations for now. It is not certain how they have planned the campaigning,” Sanju said.

The state Assembly polls in Kerala will take place in a single phase across 140 constituencies. It will be held on April 6, coinciding with Tamil Nadu’s Legislative Assembly elections. The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 2.

Pikchar With Rita: Exploring Judiciary and Hindi Cinema in BR Chopra’s ‘Kanoon’

BY On

If songs provide an afterlife to a film, the corollary is that some good films disappear in the mist of time if they do not have songs. One such film is BR Chopra’s Kanoon (1956).

The film has a quintessential mark of its director – new theme, great dialogues, larger-than-life characters, and a pressing need to address an ethical-moral question. In this case, with minimal sentimentalism. The film asks a very fundamental question: are humans being inherently flawed and therefore need legal systems or are legal systems punitive by mistrusting human beings? The question itself emerges from arguments around death penalty.

Three reputed judges mull over this as they sip coffee and smoke. Their discussion is transpired by a controversial and sensational case of double jeopardy. An innocent man accused wrongly of murdering someone (who was not dead) spent 10 years in prison. On being released from prison, he kills the man he was supposed to and challenges the court on its faulty verdict. While relating his plight and loss of time and face, he collapses in the court and dies.

The court has on its hands a miscarriage of justice and the enormity of its fallibility dawns upon the sitting judge Badriprasad (played by Ashok Kumar). While discussing this matter with his peers over coffee, Badriprasad conveys his ambivalence about court procedures, especially death penalty that leaves no room for the court to correct its own historical wrongs. He argues that if witnesses are compromised, leading to misjudgment, which then leads to capital punishment, does anyone deserve to be given life sentence or death by hanging? The man who was initially wrongly accused and hadn’t lived to tell his tale, how would the court have known of the murder it had committed? And how many such stories get told? The sensitive and circumspect judge is laughed at by his peers and an interesting premise begins at this point which sets the rest of the film in motion.

Partly a whodunnit and partly a court room drama, Kanoon keeps the spectator on the edge. A wager among the judges leads to an unfolding that we have never seen in cinema before or after.

A moneylender dies under suspicious circumstances. An impeccable and upright witness ‘sees’ a reputed citizen killing the moneylender. A poor robber gets caught in the process and becomes an easy target as a confirmed murderer for the court and the public prosecutor. All this while, the reputed citizen is tight lipped, looking concerned, engaged and unhappy, but not secretive. We are bewildered by his behavior, for we too ‘saw’ him, like the witnesses.

To that extent we are also the chashmadeed gawaah (eye witness) of this crime. The witness is a public prosecutor (played by Rajendra Kumar), who has decided to play the defense to save the poor robber from murder. A man of probity, he moves heaven and earth to do the right thing. The questions of what is right and moral and what is legal sometimes overlap, but at times depart in disturbing ways.

The film moblises legal arguments, moral positions, evidence real and manufactured, acts of witnessing and optical illusions – all this in the service to ask this fundamental question. How infallible can evidence be, how infallible can human being be? If we accept the essential fallibility, are we placed better to serve justice?

The film throws a serious challenge to the self-righteous nature of court procedures, urging it to recognise its limits and therefore acquire the humility to make timely correction.

This is only a barebone sketch and the film has more twists and surprises, which interestingly do not for a moment go their separate directions. The film spends much time in a court room. Unlike the easy cliches we associate with filmy courtrooms, Kanoon takes arguments seriously.

We may wonder why should we bother watching this old black and white film now after 60 years. While we may not have sent anyone to a death row, we have pronounced enough confident verdicts on people who ought to be given life. We have also witnessed in our own times a swift deterioration of civic trust in the courts and judges. And to add to our crimes, we have mocked at popular cinema’s hammed treatment of court rooms, or murder mysteries, comparing them at their best and worst with Hollywood.

Kanoon reminds us that cinema has had a non-linear trajectory and our loose and easy judgements are specious. It also reminds us that in an earlier time when court proceedings were done in heavy doses of Persian, and the ‘membrane jury’ was part of its procedure, the Indian court room looked different. It may inspire some of us to watch Hindi court room films to see what story do they tell of both cinema and law.

Meanwhile, I wonder what the presence of a song would have done to this highly sophisticated film.

SP Jananathan’s Last Rites Conducted in Chennai, Condolences Pour in for Director 

BY Anusha Sundar On

The last rites of late Tamil filmmaker SP Jananathan took place on Monday morning at his parents’ residence in Mylapore, Chennai. He died of a cardiac arrest on March 14.

He was 61.

Jananathan had been working on his upcoming film Laabam, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Shruti Haasan. He has previously directed Tamil films E (2006) and Peranmai (2009). The filmmaker had carved a niche for himself in the Tamil film industry with these films.

Balaji, Jananathan’s assistant director and personal assistant who was by his side when he breathed his last, said: “It is an emotional loss for me. He has taught me the ropes of filmmaking and gave me the opportunity to come into this industry. I hope the film [Laabam] will bring out a great message and will reach all at a greater level.”

Balaji, who left his hometown Hosur in 2011 to pursue filmmaking, had worked for a year at the office of the Tamil Nadu Film Director’s Association. It was then that he got acquainted with the late filmmaker.

“I did not have an idea to join him as an assistant director. All I wanted to do was learn direction. After working there for a year, I requested him to join as his assistant and he agreed. He had then started Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai (2015) and I was given a chance to become an assistant director. I have also worked with him for Laabam,” he said.

Balaji said that Jananathan was more of a father figure to him since he did not have one.

Independent filmmaker Manimekalai called the late director a “real comrade”. She said that in a film industry that operates in a “machismo, feudal, and hierarchical way”, Jananathan embraced and respected everyone. Calling the trait “rare”, Manimekalai said that he was the pioneer in bringing political filmmaking into mainstream cinema.

“His E was an out and out political and successful film commercially. His work has been outspoken about Marxism. His films had political symbolism present and it is a revolution. He made main cinema artists say something politically. That is important. It created a unique path and inspired filmmakers to talk about politics in mainstream cinema” she said.

Talking about how the presence of the directors’ association came in light during his leadership, Manimekalai said Jananathan acknowledged the work of independent filmmakers like her.

“My film Sengadal was selected as part of Indian Panorama at the 42nd International Film Festival of India [2011] and it was the only Tamil film to be selected in Indian Panorama. But in the Chennai International Film Festival that year, while they screened all the films selected under the Panorama section, they had not allotted any screening for my film. They wanted to avoid the film due to its political tone. At that time, Jananathan was the president of the Tamil Nadu Film Directors Association and had issued a statement sating that they would boycott the festival if independent filmmakers were insulted. They took a stand and had a voice,” she said.

She said that Jananathan did not have a gender bias in his personal or professional life.

Director Mohan Raja called the late director “inspiring”. Raja’s brother actor Jayam Ravi had acted in Peranmai and Bhooloham (2015) (produced and dialogues written by Jananathan). Raja said that he was acquainted with Jananathan when the latter used to narrate scripts to Ravi and his father.

Raja said that he was fond of E and said that Jananathan’s vision of world politics was “thought-provoking and over-whelming”.

“It gave me the strength to work on subjects like organised crime that I did in Thani Oruvan. It gave me the confidence to give such messages to people. I might have been skeptical of such issues if I had not interacted with Jana sir,” he said.

“A filmmaker’s quality is determined how far they compromise for regular audience. He is an inspiration when it comes to breaking the rules and exploring to unexplored areas. He paved the way to explore many things that will be eye-opening to people. I learned this while conversing with him,” he said.

Raja recalled Jananathan saying that he tried to talk about socially and economically backward sections of society in E. However, he found another layer beneath- the lives of tribals- which he later explored in Peranmai.

Raja said that he has not seen anyone apart from Jananathan who had a strong hold in the knowledge of world politics and film theory. “There may be many things that he would have left to say but my question is, have we understood fully what he tried to say till now? They may not have been explored fully so far. What we can do is celebrate his work,” he said.

Jananathan is survived by a brother and two sisters. He was unmarried.

Kids’ Choice Awards 2021: BTS Wins Multiple Awards, Ariana Grande Bags Favourite Female Artist

BY Anindita Banerjee On

Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2021 was held on March 13 virtually and the event saw pop star Ariana Grande win the Favorite Female Artist, while Justin Beiber won Favorite Male Artist, and South Korean boy band BTS won in the Favorite Music Group and Favourite Global Music Star category.

Although the Kids’ Choice Awards went the virtual way due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the event saw appearances by nominees like Robert Downey Jr., Gal Gadot, Joshua Bassett, Kim Kardashian, Charli D’Amelio, BTS, Hailey Bieber, Addison Rae, and many more.

Wonder Woman 1984 won the Favorite Movie, Alexa & Katie won the Favorite Kids TV Show, Stranger Things won the Favorite Family TV Show, Robert Downey Jr. took home the Favorite Movie Actor award and Millie Bobbie Brown claimed two wins with Favorite Female TV Star and Favorite Movie Actress.

Hosted by Saturday Night Live cast member Keenan Thompson, the award show saw Justin Beiber perform with Quavo on his hit single Intentions. He later also performed a medley of his latest tracks Hold On and Anyone.

Other stars who also appeared at the event were Sofía Vergara, David Dobrik, Tiffany Haddish, Anna Kendrick, Dove Cameron, Heidi Klum, Terry Crews, Dixie D’Amelio, Joshua Bassett, Anthony Anderson, Dani and Dannah Lane, and Iain Armitage. The show also featured special remarks from Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris.

Here’s a list of some of the winners from the Kids’ Choice Awards.

Favorite Female Artist:
Ariana Grande

Favorite Male Artist:
Justin Bieber

Favorite Music Group:
BTS

Favorite Music Collaboration:
Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, “Stuck With You”

Favorite Song:
BTS, “Dynamite”

Favorite Global Music Star:
BTS

Favorite Animated Series:
SpongeBob Square Pants

Favorite Movie:
Wonder Woman 1984

Favorite Movie Actress:
Millie Bobby Brown

Favorite Movie Actor:
Robert Downey Jr.

Favorite Animated Movie:
Soul

To see the full list of winners, click here.

Roohi Review: A Tone-Deaf Mix of Horror and Comedy

BY Aswathy Gopalakrishnan On

Director: Hardik Mehta

Cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Varun Sharma, Manav Vij, Alexx O’Nell

A clash of genres happens in Roohi, much as the clash of personalities that happen inside its protagonist, Roohi (Janhvi Kapoor). The film, directed by Hardik Mehta and produced by Dinesh Vijan, is a horror-comedy centred on a village in north India where people kidnap young women and get them married to desperate young men. Quite a terrifying tradition. In the film’s universe, it is an ‘ethnographic comedy’, presented to the audience through the eyes of a curious white man who makes documentary films. When clueless girls are gagged and pushed into vehicles, the film drops cues to laugh. The horror element in the film is one of the kidnapped women, a disrupter of this tradition, who turns out to be a mudiya pairi, a demonic spirit with upturned feet.

This supposed feminist trope, however, bites the dust because the film’s heart is on the misanthropist comic acts the men perform relentlessly. It extends to sympathy towards the meek woman at its centre.

The film follows Bhawra Pandey (Rajkummar Rao) and Kattani Qureshi (Varun Sharma), two towners who specialise in bride abduction. Like all small-towners in Bollywood’s universe, the guys are speech-impaired, silly and with a sickly fashion sense. The men abduct Roohi while she’s out shopping with her father. When the wedding ceremony gets pushed to a different date, they have to keep her in hiding in an abandoned factory in the middle of a forest where men discover that Roohi is possessed by a demon named Afza. While Roohi isn’t fond of being a bride, Afza is obsessed with it.

Roohi’s predecessor Stree (2018), despite its cliches and flaws, had a strong feminist subtext. It had a woman in charge of the proceedings, who turned men into powerless participants in her design. The female demon in the film gave the patriarchal forces in a north Indian village a taste of their medicine ﹣fear ﹣and brings the women out of their houses at night. The village in the film was a living organism that responded to the demonic presence. In Roohi, space is a lazily imagined non-entity. From a dusty industrial town, it whimsically shifts to a deciduous forest and a river-side temple town.

Angry female spirits in cinema and literature were conceived as a representation of a second personality the woman have to hide from society. A subversive portrayal of the ideal feminine. An untamed, angry and assertive woman must be exorcised and sent back into domesticity. An outspoken wife or a girlfriend is a chudail who must be taught a lesson.

In Roohi, however, the demon has a pointless existence. She can fly, spin her head right round and produce scary visual effects out of thin air, but she is incapable of thwarting the romantic advances of Kattani who claims to be a necrosexual. Whenever Roohi is her demure self, she must endure flirtations from Pandey. The woman can’t catch a break in either form.

This set-up builds into something significant in the climax where the woman asserts her agency. It sends across a golden message﹣a woman might choose to live with the demon inside her head, but she will never pick a man for whom she’s merely an object. However, one has to sit through a flux of tasteless and sexist humour acts to arrive at the so-called feminist finale. Not worth it.

Kapoor is gorgeous, but her inability to emote should be a matter of great concern for the production houses who continue to cast her in plum roles. Making up for Kapoor’s impassiveness, Rao and Sharma deliver over-the-top performances. Both styles of acting prove effective. The performances in Roohi are as forgettable and feeble as the film.

****

The Roohi 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.

Wild Dog Trailer Starring Nagarjuna, Saiyami Kher

Movie :- #WildDog​
Starring: #AkkineniNagarjuna​​​​​​​​​, Saiyami Kher, Prakash Sudarshan, Ali Reza
Writer-Director: Ahishor Solomon
Producers: Niranjan Reddy, Anvesh Reddy
Co-Producers: N M Pasha, Jagan Mohan Vancha
DOP: Shaneil Deo
Action Director: David Ismalone
Dialogues: Kiran Kumar
Editor: Shravan Katikaneni
Art Director: Murali SV
VFX Supervisor: Yugandhar T
Costume Designer: Ashwanth Byri
Stunt Coordinator: Jashuva
PRO: Vamsi-Shekar
Publicity Designers: Anil&Bhanu
Marketing:- First Show

Actors Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ashish Vidyarthi Test Positive for Covid-19

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Actors Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ashish Vidyarthi tested Covid positive on Saturday, they confirmed on their respective social media handles.

While Chaturvedi is quarantining at home, Vidyarthi has been admitted to a hospital in New Delhi.

Chaturvedi has been working on two films- director Shakun Batra’s untitled film with Deepika Padukone and Ananya Pandey. He was also working on another film starring Ishaan Khatter and Katrina Kaif.

Gangs of Wasseypur actor Manoj Bajpayee also tested positive on Friday, the actor’s team confirmed in a statement. He was shooting for his upcoming film Despatch.

Since the Covid-19 restrictions were eased and studios and transportation opened up, several actors contracted the virus while shooting for their upcoming films. This includes actors Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bahchchan, Rakulpreet Singh, Banita Sandhu, Varun Tej, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Tamannah Bhatia, among others.

Ranbir Kapoor, who had been shooting for director Ayan Mukherjee‘s Brahmastra with Alia Bhatt, tested Covid positive on Tuesday. On March 4, Bhatt had posted photos from the set of the film. In January, he was shooting for director Luv Ranjan’s next film opposite Shraddha Kapoor in New Delhi. He was expected to begin shooting for director Sandeep Vanga’s Hindi film Animal alongside Parineeti Chopra later in the year.

Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, which is producing Brahmastra, has not released a statement regarding the shooting schedule after the actor tested positive.

In December 2020, Neetu Kapoor had tested positive for Covid-19, along with co-star Varun Dhavan and director Raj Mehta while shooting for their upcoming film Jug Jugg Jeeyo.

Rajinikanth’s Annaatthe shooting was halted and the actor had to be flown down from Hyderabad to Chennai after four crew members tested positive for the virus in December 2020.

SP Jananathan, Tamil Filmmaker, Dies of Cardiac Arrest

BY Ananya Shankar On

SP Jananathan, the director who is known for directing the award-winning film Iyarkai, died of a cardiac arrest on Sunday. He was 61.

Jananathan was working on the post-production of his upcoming project Laabam when he was taken to Apollo Hospital in Chennai on Thursday after falling ill at his residence.

The producers of the film, 7C’S Entertainment, put out a statement condoling his death. They announced that the director had died at 10:07 am.

Condolences poured in for the filmmaker. Actors like Jayam Ravi and Shruti Haasan also took to social media to express their grief.

 

Earlier, the late director’s assistant Balaji had told Silverscreen India that he felt unwell while working on the editing for Laabam.

“After finishing the editing work, he had gone to his home for a lunch break. Sometime later, one of the assistants at the office got a call from him, asking him to come immediately. When we reached there, he was vomiting and sweating. He later fell unconscious,” he said.

They had initially taken him to BSS hospital in Chennai but he was later shifted to Apollo Hospital.

On Saturday, the director was still under observation and was on ventilator support but his pulse and heartbeat had improved. The doctors were hoping to conduct brain surgery to remove a blood clot.

His last film Laabam stars Vijay Sethupathi and Haasan in lead roles.

The late filmmaker made his debut in 2003 with the movie Iyarkai, which won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil at the 51st National Awards. He also worked on the 2015 sports drama film Bhooloham starring Jayam Ravi.

The Batman: Robert Pattinson Starrer Film Wraps Up Production

BY Shrija Ganguly On

The Batman, the superhero film starring Robert Pattinson, wrapped up production, said the film’s director Matt Reeves on social media on Saturday.

The film, which was originally supposed to release in June, was delayed twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jeffrey Wright, who plays Commissioner James Gordon hinted at a sequel in his farewell message. “Gordon out. …for now. One year exactly after the shutdown. Some ride,” Wright said.

This will be Pattinson’s first outing as Bruce Wayne aka Batman along with the Planet of the Apes director Reeves. In September 2020, members of the crew apart from Pattinson had tested positive for Covid-19, following which shooting was halted for a week. It was being shot in London. The film’s shoot had to be stalled yet again after another lockdown was imposed in March.

The film takes place during the second year of Bruce Wayne’s battle against crime in Gotham. Its first trailer had released duing the 2020 DCFanDome.

The Batman stars Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Paul Dano as Riddler, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, John Turturro as crime boss Carmine Falcone, Andy Serkis as Alfred and Peter Sarsgaard as Gotham City District Attorney Gil Colson.

Apart from The Batman, the DC superhero will also appear in Zack Snyder’s Justice League that will release on HBOMax. According to Deadline Hollywood, a prequel series is also being made by HBO Max. Joe Barton is the showrunner on the production, following the exit of Boardwalk Empire‘s Terence Winter in November 2020.

The Batman was written by Reeves and Peter Craig. Reeves and Dylan Clark are producing the film, with Simon Emanuel, Michael E Uslan, Walter Hamada and Chantal Nong Vo serving as executive producers. It was originally supposed to release in theatres on October 1, 2020.

The film is based on Batman written by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.

‘Avatar’ Surpasses ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to Become the Highest-Grossing Film of All Time

BY Ananya Shankar On

Avatar, the hit 2009 sci-fi film directed by James Cameron, surpassed the lifetime collections of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame to become the highest-grossing film of all time.

The movie starred Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana in lead roles.

According to a report by Variety, Avatar surpassed the box office collections after China re-released the film in its theatres on Friday and it grossed $3.5 million.

Disney announced that Avatar’s worldwide gross is currently estimated to be $2.80 billion while Avengers: Endgame is at $2.79 billion. Both films are owned by Disney after the studio acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019. This move led to Disney owning eight out of 10 highest-grossing movies of all time.

“We are proud to reach this great milestone, but Jim and I are most thrilled that the film is back in theatres during these unprecedented times, and we want to thank our Chinese fans for their support,” producer Jon Landau said. “We are hard at work on the next Avatar films and look forward to sharing the continuation of this epic story for years to come,” he added.

According to a report by Deadline, Cameron spoke to China.org about the relevance of the film and said:  “We’ve got climate change, we’ve got deforestation, our relationship with nature is more at risk than it’s ever been, and Avatar is about those things, but it also is a timeless film. Some people criticise the stories for being too simple. It wasn’t that simple — it was universal. It was something that everybody everywhere could understand and emotionally related to.”

Avengers: Endgame had a multi-starrer cast, including Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlet Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, and Mark Ruffalo. The film broke box office records in three months, while it took Avatar several re-releases and premium 3D screenings to achieve this feat.

The sequel to Avatar, Avatar 2, is scheduled to release on December 16, 2022, and is part of a five-part series that will be released in 2024, 2026, and 2028 respectively.

Katie Leung, the ‘Harry Potter’ Actor, Opens Up About Racist Attacks From Fans 

BY Anindita Banerjee On

Katie Leung, the actor who starred in the Harry Potter film franchise, said that she was subjected to racist attacks from fans while she was shooting the films.

During an interview in the podcast Chinese Chippy Girl, Leung said that her publicists advised her to deny what was happening if she were ever asked about it.

Leung portrayed Cho Chang, a love interest of Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry Potter, in four films. Recaling the abuse she faced from fans at the time, she said, “I was Googling myself at one point, and I was on this website, which was kind of dedicated to the Harry Potter fandom. I remember reading all the comments. And, yeah, it was a lot of racist shit.”

The actor was cast for the fantasy film series when she was 16. The actor revealed that she was not given any media training before doing interviews, however, she was allegedly advised by publicists to pretend that the racism didn’t exist.

“I remember them saying to me, ‘Oh, look, Katie, we haven’t seen these, these websites that people are talking about. And, you know, if you get asked that, just say it’s not true, say it’s not happening.’ And I just nodded my head. I was like, ‘Okay, okay,’ even though I had seen it myself with my own eyes. I was like, ‘Okay, yeah, I’ll just say everything’s great’,” she said in the interview.

She said that she was “grateful” to be part of the film franchise, but wished that she had said something about it at the time.

“Because I’m 16 and a teenager, I care what people think as it is in school, never mind what the whole world thinks. There was a lot of pressure there. I was so caught up in caring about what people thought of me,” she said. 

Leung’s comments comes after JK Rowling, on whose books the films are based on, was labelled as problematic for not putting any effort into naming the character of Leung. She was also called out for making transphobic comments.

Leung however didn’t respond to this directly but instead posted a thread of links to charities and initiatives accepting donations to support black trans lives.

President of USA Joe Biden Thursday denounced violent attacks against Asian Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic. His statement comes after weeks of outcry from the Asian American community regarding the growing violence towards them.

Recently, Teen Vogue‘s new editor-in-chief Alexi McCammond was called out for her racist comments. In a tweet from 2011, McCammond had written on Twitter, “Now googling how to not wake up with swollen, Asian eyes.” In another, she had written: “Outdone by Asian.” The posts have since been deleted. As an apology, McCammond shared a note condemning her thoughts and vowed to share a “comprehensive plan about Teen Vogue’s editorial commitment to uplifting and reflecting the true complexities and beauties of the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) community.”

FIR Filed Against Kangana Ranaut for Copyright Violation in Upcoming ‘Manikarnika’ Sequel

BY Namrata Ganguly On

The Mumbai Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) on Friday against actor Kangana Ranaut and others following author Ashish Kaul’s accusation of copyright infringement against them regarding the Hindi film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi‘s sequel calling it a “white collar crime”. 

Among the umpteen complaints filed against Ranaut for her comments and opinions over interviews and Twitter regarding several ongoing issues including the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and the farmers’ protest, the latest FIR was filed following an order of the Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Bandra on Tuesday under Section 156(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The FIR has been registered against Ranaut, her sister Rangoli Chandel, Kamal Kumar Jain and Manikarnika Films Private Limited for infringement of the copyright which amounts to criminal breach of trust, cheating, cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may ensure to person whose interest offender is bound to protect as well as cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property,  punishable under Section 406, 415, 418, 34, 120 B And 420 of the Indian Penal Code read with Section 51, 63, 63A and other provision of the Copyright Act, 1957 and Section 65 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

The police will continue investigating on the several offences and violations in the case.

On January 14, Ranaut announced on Twitter that her 2019 period drama film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi is coming with a sequel “#ManikarnikaReturns The Legend of Didda” in which she will be playing the role of the queen of Kashmir.

Speaking to Silverscreen India, Kaul said that as soon as the announcement came to his knowledge, he approached several police stations to file a complaint, who refused to register an FIR against the actor. He said since the police didn’t support him, he approached the judiciary.

On January 18, Kaul tweeted that a legal notice was sent to Ranaut and others for refusing to acknowledge his book Didda: The Warrior Queen of Kashmir while announcing her new film Manikarnika Returns: The Legend of Didda, which is based on Queen Didda.

According to Kaul, who is a descendant of the queen, his book is the only historical and non-fictional account on Queen Didda and Ranaut’s film draws facts from his book.

“I would really have been very heart-broken if the court would not have entertained me,” Kaul said while mentioning that he was glad to have finally been able to present in the court all the facts and documents.

Refering the actor and her co-accused as “white collar criminals”, he said: “What they do is, they twist and they confuse you when it suits them. So, they began by creating this confusion that it (the story of Didda) was historical.”

Kaul said that he addressed the issue that he is absolutely not bothered by “historical”, but his fight is “to protect his exclusive copyright about the story of Didda, the incident, the characterisation, the times, the life of Didda, whatever happened during her life, getting credit for defeating Ghazni– not once but twice.”

Kaul claimed that the exclusive narratives are available only with Kaul and he has written these in his story.

“Just because you talk of nationalism, does not mean that you cannot be a thief or a criminal. In this case, I have been proved right. Just by talking of nationalism, does not mean you are a nationalist. You are ultimately what you do, and this case, you are a copyright thief,” Kaul said.

Kaul, who is the former group executive vice president of Zee Network & Essel Group, said that he does not need any credit.

“My battle is you cannot take my story and make or announce a film- you are already in violation of the law. You may now decide you want to make it or not make it, you have to go through me. You have to convince the court that you are not going to use my narrative and you have to prove it to me that your narrative is something which is not there in my book,” he said.

“This act involves taking for granted that a common citizen will not be easily entertained or helped by the police, add to it the reputation of the alleged popular public figure against whom a common citizen is seeking help from police! Alas their perception is nothing but the truth given the number of times this perception has been strengthened by the unhelpful attitude  of law enforcement in such cases and I mean such typical cases where a commoner decides to raise his voice against the arm twisting, morale breaking and destructive deeds pursued by a public figure,” Kaul said.

Madhur Mittal, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Actor, Granted Interim Protection from Arrest in Sexual Assault Case

BY Anindita Banerjee On

Madhur Mittal, the Slumdog Millionaire actor who was booked for allegedly injuring and sexually assaulting his former girlfriend, was granted interim protection from arrest by a sessions court in Mumbai, Live Law reported. The interim protection will help him from not getting arrested till March 26, the report stated.

An FIR was filed against Mittal on February 23 at Mumbai’s Khar Police Station, accusing him of sexually assaulting and battering his former girlfriend on February 13 at her Mumbai residence. The report mentioned that the plea for interim protection from arrest stated that there was a 10-day delay in filing the FIR, which according to his lawyer is because the allegations were made only to “defame the actor”. 

A report in India Today stated that according to the anticipatory bail application, the actor had proposed to his girlfriend in December 2020 in Goa. A week later, she met Mittal in Mumbai and stayed with his family for four days. The bail application stated that the girl was pressurising him to get an apartment, pay half of her rent and get a joint account in their name.

The bail application has mentioned that Mittal returned to Mumbai on February 13 after a shoot and was invited by the girl, Live Law wrote. After consummating their relationship, the couple got into a fight and he was asked to leave, the report stated. Ten days later, an FIR was filed against Mittal.

According to Live Law, prosecutor Meera Choudhry said Mittal continued to harass the complainant even after the break-up. The girl was hurt under the eye and lip and took treatment from Holy Family Hospital for her injuries on February 16, Choudhry said, according to the report.

Mittal’s lawyer pleaded that the actor had work commitments and is a successful actor whereas the girl “is a model and struggling actor”, Live Law quoted the bail plea.

Additional Sessions Judge Sonali Aggarwal, after hearing the anticipatory bail plea, observed: “Considering the nature of the offence and the circumstances of the case, the police is directed not to take any coercive action against the accused till the next date,” Live Law noted. 

The next hearing has been scheduled for March 26.

Tsunami Review: Murder by Bad Jokes

BY Aswathy Gopalakrishnan On

Director: Lal and Junior

Cast: Balu Varghese, Aradhya Ann, Innocent, Suresh Krishna, Aju Varghese, Mukesh

Give it up for Jean Paul Lal, who has come up with a supposed comedy where everyone makes a fuss about one man’s penis. No, Tsunami is not an adult comedy. The women in the film hardly participate in the making of the jokes. The female protagonist (Aradhya Ann) doesn’t speak more than a few lines or appear in scenes that matter, although the film revolves around her wedding and sex life. Essentially, this is a cinematic version of a middle-class Malayali male locker room where men of different age groups talk sex as a masculine sport, crack bland wife jokes and gloat over their drinking habits.

The film is set in the same upper-class Christian universe as Lal’s Honey Bee franchise. Bobby, a young man (Balu Varghese) who’s on the way to Goa to join a seminary, inadvertently flashes a co-passenger (Aradhya Ann as Anna) while he was trying to use the loo. She screams and faints because, for a modern young woman, what could be a more disturbing sight inside a public toilet than a human being trying to use the facility. Her relatives chase him and assault him as they pass him for a pervert. Humiliated and terrified, the young man returns to the house of his obscenely wealthy parents and holes up. A few days later, he decides to approach her parents with a marriage proposal. Does the idea sound preposterous? Not to Bobby. He wants to marry a beautiful, non-feminist and cherubic woman. Anna, who fainted at the sight of his genital, and apologised to him who took (accidentally, though) her phone and refused to return it, perfectly fits the bill.

The problem with Tsunami isn’t just that it is unfunny, but it is unimaginative, often cringe-worthy and regressive. Overlit and blandly shot, the film has the aesthetics of an amateur web series. It cannot refer to sex or physical intimacy without being giggly. There is no perspective on why the male protagonist, a musician, an activist and a London-returnee, can’t address his issues which, in comparison with what is generally assumed as real-world problems, have the weight of a candyfloss.

Nothing in the film hints at a romance between Bobby and Anna. She gets married to him because her parents ask her to do so. After Bobby tells her that he can’t consummate the marriage, she pulls a long face and informs her extended family that they could decide if she should get a divorce or not. It’s 2021, and Lal presents to the audience a female lead with zero agency.

From Innocent to Suresh Krishna, there is a slew of supporting actors in Tsunami, playing readily forgettable roles. They set up surface-level comic situations that fall flat. Mukesh is a friendly Christian priest, a staple in Malayalam comedies, and Innocent is Anna’s overtly funny dad. Terrible writing renders their characters tedious. In all fairness, there is one slightly entertaining sequence in the film, thanks to the cast, where they ride a bus and sing a peppy song together.

Devoid of a single good performance or an instance of good writing or filmmaking, Tsunami barely qualifies to be called ‘cinema’. It is the kind of script that high school kids would write and discard, a film that makes post-pandemic theatre-going a real ‘brush with death’. Its sheer lack of humour sense could kill you before the virus can.

****

The Tsunami 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.

Mandela Teaser Starring Yogi Babu

Starring : Yogi Babu, Sangili Murugan, G.M. Sundar, Sheela Rajkumar, Kanna Ravi & others.

Written & Directed by Madonne Ashwin
Produced by S. Sashikanth
Co-Produced by Chakravarthy Ramachandra
Creative Producer – Balaji Mohan
DOP – Vidhu Ayyanna
Music – Bharath Sankar
Editor – Philomin Raj
Art Director – Ramu Thangaraj
Costume Design – Dinesh Manoharan
Lyrics – Yugabharathi & Arivu
Stunts – ‘Stunner’ Sam
Publicity Design – Sivakumar S
Stills – Rajendran
Executive Producer – Kailash Somasundaram
Production Executive – Martin Rex L
PRO – Nikkil
Colorist – Prasath Somasekar
DI Line Producer – Krishna Rao
VFX Producer – Chandra Mohan. K

‘Valimai’ Finds a Place in Creating Poll Awareness as Tiruppur District Collector Shares Poster With #ValimaiUpdate

BY Anusha Sundar On

Fans of popular Tamil actor Ajith Kumar, who have been seeking updates about the release of his upcoming film Valimai, were in for a surprise on Tuesday when the District Collector of Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu tweeted about creating awareness on the upcoming Legislative Assembly polls using the #ValimaiUpdate.

Valimai’s makers have remained tight-lipped about the film’s release.

Tapping the potential reach of Ajith’s fans, Tiruppur’s District Collector Vijayakarthikeyan K shared an election awareness poster using the play of words. In Tamil, Valimai means strength and Mai means ink. Urging people to vote, Vijayakarthikeyan K shared a poster that read, “The strength [Valimai] of a democracy lies in the vote cast by each one of you.”

With the post soon becoming viral on social media, many first-time voters commented and assured that they would exercise their franchise.

Valimai, directed by H Vinoth, is produced by Hindi filmmaker Boney Kapoor. In February, Kapoor tweeted that the team was working towards presenting the film’s first look and requested fans to be patient. Fans, however, have been seeking updates about the film, from asking Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palanisami during his election campaign to cricketer Ashwin R during a Test match. This resulted in Ajith issuing a statement, asking his fans to maintain decorum at public spaces. He had added that an announcement would be made at the right time.

Polls in Tamil Nadu will be conducted in 234 constituencies across 38 districts in a single phase on April 6. The polls, whose results will be declared on May 2, will be the first Legislative Assembly election that will be conducted in the state after the demises of former chief ministers M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa. It is also the first legislative election for actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan and his party Makkal Needhi Maaim.