Theatres across the country are resuming operations and more and more big screen releases are announced every day.
Theatres in Tamil Nadu, which were closed since April, resumed operations on Monday and announcements about new Tamil theatrical releases have started coming out. The latest of these is Laabam, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Shruti Haasan, which is slated for September 9. The makers of Thalaivii, featuring Kangana Ranaut as J Jayalalithaa, earlier announced that the biopic will hit the big screen on September 10.
Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar’s Hindi spy-thriller Bell Bottom, the first major release in theatres after the second wave of Covid-19, collected around Rs 2.75 crore on its opening day on Thursday.
While Nani-starrer Tuck Jagadish is headed for a premiere on Amazon Prime Video, another Telugu film Madhura Wines is set to hit theatres on September 17.
In Kerala, which is seeing a surge in Covid-19 cases, Minister for Culture Saji Cheriyan said that reopening of theatres would only be considered if the Test Positivity Rate falls below 8%.
OTT releases, however, show no signs of slowing down. On that note, here are eight new films and shows releasing this week on streaming platforms, including the comedy show LOL: Enga Siri Paapom and the Malayalam film Pidikittapulli.
1. LOL: Enga Siri Paapom – Amazon Prime Video (August 27)
A six-part unscripted Tamil comedy show hosted by actor Shiva and late comedian Vivekh, LOL: Enga Siri Paapom features 10 comedians, who will compete against each other for six hours with two objectives – to make others in the house laugh and ensure that they do not laugh themselves. The last contestant standing wins the title along with a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.
2. Pidikittapulli – Amazon Prime Video (August 27)
Pidikittapulli is a Malayalam crime comedy film. The entire story happens in a span of a few hours – between the evening of one day and early morning the next day. The official synopsis reads: “On one side, Shambu (Sunny Wayne) decides to elope with his love Aswathy (Ahaana Krishna) and on the other side, Shivan (Anoop) and Disney (Shaiju Kurup) plan to kidnap Kurup (Major Ravi). On the third side, a driver named Sudhakaran walks in to take revenge against Kurup. All are unaware that they are all in the same place at the same time. Soon, a series of confusions begin to occur. What happens next is a series of quirky comedy of errors.”
3. The Empire – Disney+ Hotstar (August 27)
The Empire is an ambitious Indian historical-fiction television series created by Nikkhil Advani and directed by Mitakshara Kumar. Based on the novel series Empire of the Moghul, written by Alex Rutherford, the show depicts the rise and fall of the Mughal Empire. Filmed in Uzbekistan, the first season will trace Babur’s journey and the beginning of the Mughal Empire in India. It features Kunal Kapoor as emperor Babur, Shabana Azmi as Babur’s grandmother Esan Daulat, and Dino Morea as Babur’s nemesis Shaybani Khan.
4. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha – Netflix (August 28)
This South Korean television series is an adaptation of the 2004 South Korean film Mr Handy, Mr Hong. According to the synopsis on Netflix, it is about a big-city dentist who opens up a practice in a close-knit seaside village, which is home to a “charming jack-of-all-trades who is her polar opposite in every way.”
5. He’s All That – Netflix (August 27)
This American teen rom-com reimagines the original plot of the 1999 teen classic She’s All That. The contemporary story follows an influencer (Addison Rae) who accepts a challenge to turn the school’s biggest loser (Tanner Buchanan) into the prom king.
6. Sparking Joy – Netflix (August 31)
In this reality series, Marie Kondo, the Japanese organising consultant, “brings her joyful tidying tactics to people struggling to balance work and home life — and shares her own world.” In 2019, Kondo had collaborated with Netflix for Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, which had her visiting families to help them organise and tidy their homes.
7. Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror – Netflix (September 1)
This five-part docuseries from director Brian Knappenberger is a chronicle of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US. According to Netflix, it offers illuminating perspectives and personal stories of how the catastrophic events of that day changed the course of the nation.
8. How to be a Cowboy – Netflix (September 1)
This reality show is about a man named Dale Brisby, who “uses social media savvy and rodeo skills to keep cowboy traditions alive — and now he’s teaching the world how to cowboy right.”
