‘Udanpirappe’, ‘Riverdale’ Season 5 & More- 7 New OTT Releases This Week

BY Namrata Ganguly On October 7, 2021

With West Bengal’s Durgapujo around the corner and the Maharashtra government announcing the reopening of theatres for Diwali, several big-budget Bengali and Hindi films have announced theatrical releases including Bengali films Golondaaj, Tonic, Baazi, Mahananda and Hindi films Sooryavanshi, Kannada film Bhajarangi 2, among others.

But, the trend of premiering on OTT continues with new shows and films releasing every week. Season 5 of Riverdale, Bengali film Rawkto Rahashya and Tamil film Udanpirappe, are among the eight new OTT releases this week.

Riverdale Season 5 (October 7)- Netflix

Based on the characters of Archie Comics, Riverdale is an American teen drama television series that first premiered in January 2017. Season five of the series begins with the characters’ final days as students at Riverdale High.

House of Secrets: Burari Deaths (October 8)- Netflix

This upcoming docuseries is based on the investigations of the horrific mass suicide of a family comprising 11 members living in Burari, Delhi, in 2018. “The shocking case of 11 deaths, one house full of secrets, and a set of diaries that lead us closer to the truth,” reads the synopsis of the film.

The Manor (October 8)- Amazon Prime Video

The upcoming American horror film directed and written by Axelle Carolyn, narrates the story of a woman named Judith Albright, who after suffering a stroke, moves into a prolific nursing home where she begins to believe that a supernatural force is preying on its residents.

Muppets Haunted Mansion (October 8)- Disney+ Hotstar

A Halloween special based on Disney’s The Muppets and The Haunted Mansion, Muppets Haunted Mansion is an upcoming American puppet comedy revolving around Gonzo, who “takes on his biggest challenge yet at The Haunted Mansion where he has to spend a night, accompanied by Pepe the King Prawn.”

Eken Babu 5 (October 8)- Hoichoi

The Bengali web series is based on the Ekenbabu detective story written by Sujan Dasgupta and stars Anirban Chakraborti in the lead role. Season five of the series, directed by Anirban Mullick, is based on Santiniketane Osanti.

Rawkto Rawhoshyo (October 10)- Hoichoi

Starring Koel Mullick in the lead, Rawkto Rahashya will have its world premiere on Hoichoi ahead of Durgapujo. It is a Bengali investigative thriller film that centres on the relationship of a mother with her child through an array of complex situations.

Udanpirappe (October 14)- Amazon Prime Video

According to the official synopsis, the film will showcase the unconditional love between siblings Mathangi (Jyotika) and Vairavan (Sasikumar), who are separated due to differences of opinion. While Vairavan believes justice must be fought for, Mathangi’s husband Sargunam (Samuthirakanni) insists on going by the law diligently. Over the years, the rift between them is aggravated and all attempts by Mathangi to unite the family turn futile. Whether Mathangi can unite her family forms the crux of this emotional family drama.

Bhramam Review: Prithviraj’s Remake Of ‘Andhadhun’ Stays Dispensable

BY Aswathy Gopalakrishnan On October 7, 2021

Knowledge is empowering. Wouldn’t you live your life a lot differently, perhaps breezily and confidently, if you knew how it was going to end?

In Bhramam (Enchantment), Ravi K Chandran reimagines Sriram Raghavan’s highly-acclaimed Andhadhun as a comedy where the audience, that knows the plot’s fundamental secret, can laugh with the hero rather than wait with bated breath for the truth to come to light at the end. The viewer, here, has been promoted from being among the magician’s audience to his accomplice.

Bhramam faithfully follows Andhadhun’s blueprint while exaggerating its comic and impish edges. Unlike the original film’s Akash (Ayushmann Khuranna) whose blind man act in front of the world was part of his artistic experimentation, Ray Mathews (Prithviraj Sukumaran), a pianist, pretends to be blind because it earns him pity from the world. Cheap housing, more employment opportunities, and other benefits. If Akash was a genius, Ray comes across as a quack who has little sense of guilt when he lies through his teeth or launches a series of crimes at the end of the film.

There are minor thrills aplenty, tailor-made to impress the Malayali audience. Throughout the film, the characters evoke pop-culture icons such as CID Ramdas (Nadodikkattu, 1987), Balamani (Nandanam, 2002) and the recent Vikram Vedha (2017). Shankar Panicker plays Udaya Kumar, a yesteryear actor eerily similar to his real self. At Kumar’s funeral, actress Menaka, who played Shankar’s heroine in the iconic Engane Nee Marakkum (1983), delivers a eulogy. The film is set in Fort Kochi, the picture-postcard neighbourhood which has the soul of an art biennale venue. Ray’s apartment doesn’t look lived-in, thanks to the offhanded production design, but the building is instantly recognisable – the Big B (2007) house that is now a popular tourist destination.

The actors and the properties in Bhramam seek to impress rather than convince the viewer, for they are aware of the film’s nature. Bhramam is one of those recent films that comes labelled as dispensable. It doesn’t aspire to be a timeless work, only a product that looks to cash in on the ongoing content revolution thanks to the OTT culture. It is a playful recap, not a work with a unique artistic design. Prithviraj, for one, seems unusually at ease. His Ray fools around when he should be anxious, and is diligent like a young student when he is flirting or making love. And it works. The actor, whose recent filmography looks like a collective ode to his secret passion for theatre, is aptly restrained here.

But there is only so much the actors can do when the screenplay is dull. Jagadish, an actor with great comic flair, plays a doctor who moonlights as an organ trafficker. The mediocre writing fails to tap into his talent. A lot of the film’s dialogue is devoid of an organic flow; it is as though the text was translated from Hindi to Malayalam by a bot. And for a film headlined by a musician, Bhramam has utterly forgettable music. Jakes Bejoy’s altered version of Andhadhun’s cheerful Naina Da Kya Kasoor is a boring track with juvenile lyrics.

The starkest victim to Ravi K Chandran’s complacency as a filmmaker is Mamta Mohandas, who plays Simi, the wife of Udaya Kumar, a role that Tabu played to ageless grace in Andhadhun. Simi is originally a twist on the classic vamp – wicked, unpredictable and immensely entertaining. But Chandran’s Simi is not frightening or funny, just an inept parody of the character from Andhadhun. She doesn’t get a great moment or a memorable line. Mamta is earnest, but, unfortunately, she cannot escape the inevitable comparisons with Tabu. She can neither bring the house down nor burn it to ashes. But in a film that aspires to be a pastime, an actor’s flawed performance should matter little.

*****

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

Makers of Shahid Kapoor & Vijay Sethupathi’s Web Series Accused of Insulting Mahatma Gandhi

BY Anindita Banerjee On October 6, 2021

The makers of Sunny, the upcoming web series starring Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi, have been accused of insulting Mahatma Gandhi after residents of Madhuban, Vasai East found fake Rs 2000 notes lying on the road where the series was being shot on Sunday, Mid-day reported.

Locals have demanded police action against those responsible for scattering the notes featuring Gandhi’s portrait and forcing people to walk on them.

According to the report, on Monday, joggers found the road in Madhuban scattered with hundreds of fake Rs 2000 notes with the portrait of Gandhi. These notes were reportedly used in the shooting of the web series, which happened there on Sunday.

“The notes are duplicate and issued by Children Bank of India, but the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi on them is original. The notes are scattered everywhere and people are forced to walk on them. It is utter disrespect to the father of the nation, whose birthday we celebrated just a few days ago,” said Kiran Chendvankar, former Shiv Sena corporator.

She also told the daily that the notes were used for an accident sequence of the web series. “After the accident [scene], a huge amount of duplicate notes got scattered on the road in Madhuban,” she added.

Another resident of Madhuban, Hoshiyar Singh Dasoni, told the publication, “Shooting crews leave the area in a mess every time. The surroundings are littered with used water bottles, plates, napkins, cigarette butts, etc. The joggers have to suffer. Yesterday [Sunday], the shooting team left the roads littered with duplicate currency notes with the portrait of Gandhi. This was utterly shocking and disrespectful.”

Speaking about the issue, Zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar Patil told Mid-day, “They had secured the permission for the shoot. Our inquiry is underway regarding the disrespect of Mahatma Gandhi.”

A spokesperson for the producers, however, said no fake notes were left behind. “We have shot this series with all due permissions and guidelines in place. We have a dedicated team that ensures no fake notes are left behind after each scene. We have the utmost respect for Mahatma Gandhi and have absolutely no intent of disrespecting him.”

Silverscreen India has reached out to Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Patil for comment.

This Raj & DK series marks Raashii Khanna and Kapoor’s first project together. It is also Kapoor’s digital debut and first collaboration with the directors and with Sethupathi.

The show, which is co-written by Sita R Menon, Suman Kumar, and Hussain Dalal, will stream on Amazon Prime Video. It is touted as a quirky drama thriller series filled with the director duo’s trademark dark and wry humour.

Oh Manapenne: Harish Kalyan and Priya Bhavani Shankar starrer soon to stream on Disney+ Hotstar

BY Anusha Sundar On October 6, 2021

Oh Manapenne, the upcoming Tamil film starring actors Harish Kalyan and Priya Bhavani Shankar in the lead roles, is set to premiere on Disney+ Hotstar, the makers of the film announced on social media recently.

The film, directed by Kaarthikk Sundar, is backed by A Studios LLP, A Havish Production, SP Cinemas, Madhav Media and Third Eye Entertainment banners. It is the official remake of the 2016 Telugu romantic comedy film Pelli Choopulu, starring Vijay Devarakonda and Ritu Varma in the lead roles. The film follows the lives of a boy and girl who meet during a match-making event and grow together by pursuing their dreams. The Telegu film had fetched several accolades for its cast and crew.

Speaking to Silverscreen India, Kaarthikk who is making his directorial debut said, “Initially, in 2016, when the film came, I saw it and was very fond of the film. It had layers of emotions. I had even suggested to Harish that it would be good if he does the film then. But at that time, someone else had the rights to the film. By god’s grace, it came back to us. Once Harish took up the project, he put a word about me and I’d like to thank Harish for that”.

Kaarthikk said that helming remakes is more difficult than making an original film, as remakes tend to lead to comparisons. This is especially if the film has won accolades in the past. “We have kept the essence of the film intact, while executing it with Harish and Priya who are brilliant actors. This is our take on Pelli Choopulu. It is definitely not a frame-by-frame remake. Since Southern States have many commonalities, there was not much to change,” he said.

Speaking about the characterisation of the lead pair, the filmmaker said, “We wanted a boy next door look with an ability to pull off humour. Harish fit the bill. As for the female lead, we wanted a bossy character. We found a Tamil speaking artist in Priya.”

Apart from Harish and Priya, the film will also feature Ashwin Kumar, Venu Arvind, among others.

The film has been shot by cinematographer Krishnan Vasant in and around Chennai. Emphasising that music is an important element in a romantic-com, the filmmaker said that Vishal Chandrashekhar has composed seven tracks, out of which four are featured as songs in the film.

Deepak Sundarrajan who has helmed Annabelle Sethupathi, has penned the dialogues while he has written the additional Screenplay along with Sanjeev and Kaarthikk.

The post production is nearing completion and that release date will be announced soon.

FFSI Keralam launches Online Platform for Streaming Short Films & Documentaries

BY Chandhini R On October 6, 2021

Federation of Film Societies India (FFSI) Keralam has launched an online video streaming platform for showcasing short films and documentaries, called FFSI Online Short and Documentary Theatre. The platform was inaugurated on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi on October 2.

In conversation with Silverscreen India, FFSI Keralam’s executive committee member and coordinator Cheriyan Joseph said the platform welcomes short films and documentaries from India and across the world. “The first content was released on Gandhi Jayanthi and following that, every week on Monday and Friday, we will be screening new short films and documentaries. The content will range from classics and contemporary work to award-winning films.”

A documentary titled Remembering Mahatma, written by UA Rajendran and conceived by Joshy Vignette, both part of the Thodupuzha Film Society, was the first to play on the streaming platform.

“Feature films have a dedicated platform in movie theatres. Meanwhile, though there are many talented creators who make good short films and documentaries as well, such content sees the light only at film festivals. Therefore, we wanted to create a dedicated space for screening short films and documentaries,” said Cheriyan, adding that videos on the new platform can be watched free of cost.

Noting that October 9 is commemorated as World Postal Day, Cheriyan said they will thus be streaming three shorts based on the subject this week.

FFSI is the apex body coordinating the activities of Film Societies in India. The society was founded by veteran filmmaker Satyajit Ray and has five regional councils – Western Region, Northern Region, Eastern Region, Southern Region, and Kerala Sub Region. FFSI’s Kerala unit was established on July 21, 1965.

FSSI is also known for its national-level festival called SIGNS. The 13th edition of the festival was held online last year. Cheriyan stated that, unlike SIGNS, the FFSI Online Short and Documentary Theatre is not a competition but only a screening platform.

“Creators who are interested in screening their content on the platform can reach out to us at ffsikeralam@gmail.com. We have a selection committee that curates the screening list,” he added.

Critics’ Review Roundup: Films Shuffle Between Theatres and OTTs Ahead of Reopening of Cinemas

BY Shrija Ganguly On October 5, 2021

Things don’t seem as grim for the Indian entertainment industry after both the Maharashtra and Kerala governments announced the reopening of theatres on October 22 and October 25, respectively.

Besides this announcement, big banner films like Pushpa, RRR, and Maanaadu announced their release dates, along with several Hindi language films.

As more films make their way to the big screen and audiences make up their minds about the week’s most entertaining cinema, Silverscreen India sums up the responses of critics to films that released this week.

Sivakumarin Sabadham

This Tamil-language film sees Hip-hop Tamizha Aadhi writing, directing and acting in the lead role. It also sees Madhuri Jain as the female protagonist. The story revolves around Sivakumar, a young man from a weaving family, who vows to restore his family business to its past glory by taking on a textile magnate.

Sinndhuja who reviewed the film for Silverscreen India called the film “an inherently boyish fantasy of an unevolved filmmaker – and adult,” which tries to make a hero out of Aadhi.

“The bar is so low that you hope it doesn’t have too many instances to showcase its misogyny or box wrong ideas into the wide-eyed impressionable young men in the theatre,” she said.

Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion reflected similar sentiments calling the film “silly and spoof-like,” said, “The problem is not the songs, comedy or fights, but the sameness. There’s a complete lack of effort to make the film look different.”

Haricharan Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times noted that neither the actor nor does his audience take his films seriously.

“Sivakumarin Sabadham is yet another film which relies largely on mindless comedy and a very predictable plot about a reckless youngster finding purpose in his life.”

The film has an IMDb rating of 6.6.

Lift (Disney+ Hotstar)

Lift is a horror film about two IT employees being haunted by spirits in their office. Directed by Vineeth Varaprasad, it features actors Kavin and Amritha in lead roles.

While the film received mixed reactions from critics, almost everyone commended it for drawing a parallel between the metaphor of a lift with the trapped lives of individuals in the corporate world.

Arunkumar Sekhar of Silverscreen India, called it a rare film that comes with one of the best horror experiences in Tamil cinema because of its first hour.

“It uses more psychological means to induce horror than your regular jump scares. And it uses the motif of the lift inside a corporate building to signify the trappings of everyday human life – one of the existential themes that the film boldly tackles”.

Praveen Sudevan of The Hindu likened Lift to “carnival horror houses” that have fragments from every genre, and called it a confused film.

For Vishal Menon of Film Companion, the malfunctioning elevator is metaphor of an IT career.

“It gives us the illusion of a person rising through their ranks in their career. The elevator also lets you feel that you can leave at any point. But this too is an illusion of a place where one can “check-out any time you like but you can never leave.”

The film has a current rating of 7.5 on IMDb.

Rudra Thandavam

Mohan G‘s Rudra Thandavam which revolves around a police officer who surrenders himself out of the guilt of committing a crime, has been considered as a work which has been created to establish the director’s ideology. It has been embroiled in controversy even prior to its release, as the director’s previous venture Draupathi seemed to justify casteism.

The film featured actors Richard Rishi, Dharsha Gupta, and Gautham Vasudev Menon, in lead roles.

According to Arunkumar Sekhar of Silverscreen India, “where the director falters is in providing a sympathetic gaze to a person with power with no realisation or acknowledgement of said power by the person throughout the film’s runtime. This means that the cop’s ‘benevolent dictator’-like actions are affirmed consistently.”

Srivatsan S of The Hindu drew parallels between the director’s ideology and racial crimes like George Floyd’s death and called the film fundamentally wrong.

Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion, said that despite its shortcomings, the film stuck to the issue at hand- drug menace among youth in Chennai- and did not use it as just a backdrop.

Both Srivatsan and Rangan further pointed out that Menon character as the antagonist was one-dimensional.

The film has an IMDb rating of 7.

Shiddat (Disney+ Hotstar)

The Kunal Deshmukh directorial that features Sunny Kaushal, Radhika Madan, Diana Penty, and Mohit Raina in lead roles, follows two parallel love stories.

Film critics found Shiddat to be problematic as it tends to glorify stalker behaviour.

For Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India, Shiddat was characterized by toxic male gaze. She called Kaushal’s character a variant of Arjun Reddy.

“Shiddat is an infuriating film that flattens out a complicated plot, centred on a man’s self-destructive obsession, into a delusional account about soulmates.”

Rahul Desai of Film Companion reflected similar sentiments and added that the film “somehow uses three solid actors – Sunny Kaushal, Radhika Madan and Mohit Raina – to suggest that there is nothing quite as aspirational as a mentally unstable male blinded by love.”

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV said that the film tries hard to pass itself as a modern, progressive love story that believes in female agency, but “that is a losing battle because the boy who forces her hand is somebody who needs urgent counselling.”

Shiddat has an IMDb rating of 7.8.

Actor Srindaa Calls Out Kairali TV for Derogatory Content on Female Actors; Anchor Sneha Sreekumar Clarifies

BY Chandhini R On October 5, 2021

Actor Srindaa, who was last seen in the Malayalam film Kuruthi, called out Kairali TV for telecasting derogatory content on female actors in the Malayalam industry on a show called Loud Speaker. In response to this, one of the show’s anchors Sneha Sreekumar clarified that the views expressed in the show are not her own, but those of a satirical fictional character.

Kairali TV, a popular Malayalam broadcast channel, runs a show called Loud Speaker, in which the anchors – Sneha Sreekumar and Reshmi Anil – discuss the happenings in the film industry in a “satirical manner.”

In a recent show, the anchors were seen passing derogatory comments on the attire and photo shoots of actors Srindaa, Esther Anil, Gopika Suresh, and Anusree, among several others. The anchors said that Esther, who played the younger daughter of Mohanlal’s character in Drishyam, is doing photo shoots to show that she has “grown up.” They also remarked on Anusree’s photo shoot at a waterfall.

A social media user named Arv Anchal was one of the firsts to call out the channel and anchors for defaming the artists. Anchal’s post garnered traction and was shared widely by other social media users who also condemned the program.

Following this, Srindaa took to social media and bashed the television and its anchors for entertaining toxic content. In an Instagram post, she wrote, “Just a friendly reminder that this is 2021, and this shit won’t run anymore. When everyone (well almost) is trying to unlearn toxic behavioural patterns, stigmas and perceptions, fighting for women’s rights, and actively creating a space for everyone to love their bodies, sadly, here we are taking 20000 steps back (sigh).”

The actor said she was calling them out as she “doesn’t want any woman/ girl growing up in an environment where conversations like this dictate the norm.”

“It’s time to be a lot more responsible about the kind of content that goes up, especially when you serve as a platform that has the power to influence change,” she said, and added that such “horribly backward views” should be discouraged. “So that the little girls and boys that watch your platform, learn that their bodies are theirs, and theirs alone. That no one, not even random chechis and chetans on their TV / mobile screens can tell them what to do /what to wear.”

Reacting to the criticism against the show, anchor Sneha shared her own social media post, in which she said in Malayalam, “Reshmi and I play fictional characters called Susheela and Thangu in Loud Speaker. What that character says are not my personal opinions. These two characters, who are jealous and mischevous, represent people who post bad comments on actors’ photo shoots.”

Sneha also noted that after these two characters criticised the actors, there is another (voice) character called Jamalu, towards the end of the show, who explains that everyone has the right to take photos, wear what they like, post them on social media, and that photo shoots are part of a film star’s profession.

“Those who watch the full program will understand that the show spoke from the actors’ perspective. This clip circulating on social media is not the complete video of the show. I am sad that this clip is making people sad, knowingly or unknowingly,” she added.

‘Udanpirappe’ Trailer Out; Jyotika Says Film Features Her Most Dignified Character Yet

BY Anusha Sundar On October 5, 2021

Jyotika, who will next be seen in the Tamil film Udanpirappe, said it was the depth and dignity of her character that made her choose the script. The actor was speaking at the trailer launch of the upcoming film on Monday, which was attended by the cast and crew.

Udanpirappe, which happens to be Jyotika’s 50^th film, also stars actor-directors Sasikumar and Samuthirakani in the lead alongside her. It is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on October 14.

Produced under Suriya’s 2D Entertainment, the film is written and directed by filmmaker Era Saravanan. According to the official synopsis, it will showcase the unconditional love between siblings Mathangi (Jyotika) and Vairavan (Sasikumar), who are separated due to differences of opinion. While Vairavan believes justice must be fought for, Mathangi’s husband Sargunam (Samuthirakanni) insists on going by the law diligently. Over the years, the rift between them is aggravated and all attempts by Mathangi to unite the family turn futile. Whether Mathangi can unite her family forms the crux of this emotional family drama.

Speaking to Silverscreen India earlier, Saravanan had said that Udanpirappe will shine a light on familial relationships, particularly estranged ones. While most of the cast and crew also stressed the same point and spoke about the need to value human relationships at the event, Jyotika shared her reasons for choosing this script. “The newness of the character lies in the strength and the silence. That’s what made me choose this film. I have done a few village films, but this character has so much depth. I play many roles in my real life as a wife, mother, and woman. All these are put together in this film. I don’t think I have played such a dignified character yet and am really happy with this portrayal,” she said.

Saravanan revealed that he was initially unaware that Udanpirappe marks Jyothika’s 50^th film. He called this a blessing in disguise since he would otherwise have been wary of directing the actor. “If I had known that it was her 50^th film, I would have requested her to work with another director, because it is a milestone and an important one.”

The filmmaker also mentioned that while his previous film, Kaththukkutti, barely managed to get 40 screens, Udanpirappe will be reaching 240 countries through the streaming platform.

Samuthirakani, meanwhile, said he felt the working style of Jyotika was similar to Suriya’s. “It was as if I was working with Suriya. I have worked with him in two films and have seen him up close. He thinks only of the shot and does not pay attention to anything else. I saw exactly the same in her.”

The actor-filmmaker also revealed that he has “tried a new type of comedy” with Soori. “I realised I could do such humour too.”

On working with Sasikumar again, he said, “We have both directed each other, but to act together in a feature film is an unforgettable experience.”

Sasikumar, meanwhile, praised Jyotika for her performance in a particular single-shot scene during the climax and said that no other actor could have done it better. “She used no glycerin, and Suriya sir had also come to the shoot that day. Her acting was par excellence,” he added.

Udanpirappe was shot over 56 days in Thanjavur and Pudukottai in Tamil Nadu, by cinematographer Velraj. It is edited by Ruben and has music by D Imman, who has composed five songs for the film. It will release in Telugu as Raktha Sambandham.

South Korean Internet Service Provider Sues Netflix Over Traffic Surge Caused by ‘Squid Game’

BY Shrija Ganguly On October 4, 2021

South Korean internet service provider, SK Broadband, sued Netflix on October 1, over non-payment of network usage costs as a result of a surge in viewership of shows like Squid Game, Reuters reported.

Netflix’s data traffic handled by SK jumped 24 times from May 2018, because of the viewership of several popular shows, the service provider said. This amounted to a network usage fee of 27.2 billion won ($22.9 million) in 2020 alone, that Netflix never paid.

The popularity of the hit series Squid Game and other offerings have established Netflix’s status as the country’s second-largest data traffic generator after Google’s YouTube, but the two are the only ones which have not paid network usage fees. Other content providers such as Amazon, Apple and Facebook are paying the fee, SK said.

Squid Game, the survivor thriller series which follows a few contestants playing children’s games having fatal consequences, has become the first South Korean show to top the charts in Netflix US, said co-CEO Ted Sarandos. He also recently hinted that it might become Netflix’s biggest show ever.

The suit was filed with the Korea Communications Commission in November 2019 and followed a Seoul court’s statement that the OTT platform should pay the service provider.

“Netflix is at least receiving network services, including management of the network quality, at a cost,” read a Korea Herald report. Multiple South Korean lawmakers slammed the platforms for avoiding payment despite generating “explosive traffic”.

Netflix said that it will review SK Broadband’s claims but sought assurance that the lawsuit does not affect the customers.

The broadband said that it had first filed a lawsuit when Netflix began using SK’s services starting 2018 to deliver increasingly larger amounts of data-heavy, high-definition video content to viewers in South Korea from servers in Japan and Hong Kong.

In 2020, Netflix filed a lawsuit regarding any obligation that it had to pay SK for network usage, and argued that its “duty ends with creating content and leaving it accessible”. The suit further highlighted court documents which noted that internet provision is “free of charge as a principle” and that SK’s expenses were incurred while fulfilling its contractual obligations to Internet users.

But the Seoul Central District Court ruled against Netflix in June, saying that SK Broadband is seen as providing “a service provided at a cost” and it is “reasonable” for Netflix to be “obligated to provide something in return for the service”.

Netflix had appealed against the ruling, court records showed, with fresh proceedings to start late in December.

Navarasa: Nearly 1,000 Production Assistants, 845 Theatre Operators among Beneficiaries of Anthology’s Proceeds

BY Anusha Sundar On October 4, 2021

Nearly 12,000 people, including 1,200 directors, 845 theatre operators, and nearly a thousand production assistants were among the beneficiaries of the proceeds that were raised by Navarasa, Netflix’s nine-part Tamil anthology.

Navarasa was presented by veteran filmmaker Mani Ratnam and writer-filmmaker Jayendra Panchapakesan. The antholgy, which released on August 6, was made as an initiative to raise funds to support those in the cinema industry who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent crisis.

Based on the nine rasas (human emotions) – anger, compassion, courage, disgust, fear, laughter, love, peace, and wonder, the anthology brought together nine filmmakers to helm the nine shorts, along with a large star cast that included Suriya, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Yogi Babu, Arvind Swami, and Vijay Sethupathi, among others. According to the makers, all the talent and companies involved in the project offered their services pro bono.

The makers started to distribute prepaid cards to workers of the Tamil film industry, as early as March, in their effort to financially support about 12,000 people who lost their income.

Bhoomika Trust India, a Chennai-based NGO which collaborated with them to distribute the aid, released a video on Monday to illustrate how the Netflix anthology had benefited the members of the film industry.

“Since corona hit us, we have been facing untold sufferings. We struggled for three months. We did not know what to do. Can we go and beg? Nobody in the film industry will ever forget this help done for us during the corona pandemic,” AK Venu, a junior artist and one of the beneficiaries, said in the video.

Bhuvana, wife of painter Sargunam said, “There was no work. We could not find work even at construction sites. We were wondering what to do.”

“When I got to purchase groceries at the store [with the financial aid], I felt like a millionaire,” said James, another junior artist.

The beneficiaries were drawn from across nearly 30 categories of the film industry. The video also listed out the number of beneficiaries from each category.

Navarasa is currently streaming on Netflix.

Karnataka HC Restrains Netflix from Streaming ‘Crime Scene: India Detectives’ Episode 1

BY Namrata Ganguly On October 4, 2021

The Karnataka High Court has restrained Netflix from streaming the first episode of its documentary series Crime Scenes: India Detectives, Live Law reported.

Issuing a notice returnable on October 21, the High Court has temporarily directed the streaming giant to block streaming, broadcasting, telecasting, or otherwise making available, the content of the episode titled A Murdered Mother.

Crime Scenes: India Detectives is a four-part documentary series that follows detectives from the Bengaluru City Police investigating four “shocking and gripping” crimes while delving deeper into their complex and challenging inner workings. The series released on September 22.

The murder story in question took place in February 2020, when a Bengaluru-based techie Amrutha allegedly stabbed her mother to death and attempted the same on her brother. The latter survived. Following the incident, she is said to have fled to Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, along with her male friend Sridhar Rao S.

The High Court passed the order during the hearing of a petition on October 1 filed by Rao, who is under trial in the case. He is accused of offences under IPC Sections 302 and 307 (murder and attempt to murder), 212 (causing miscarriage), 201 read with Section 34 (causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to screen offender).

His petition objected to the content of the episode as it contains visuals of the investigation by the police in the FIR against him and “another person.”

Seeking a temporary injunction, Rao submitted that the content of the episode “prejudices” his defence since it features interviews recorded during the investigation as well as a video recording of a purported confession. “The petitioner’s right to a free and fair trial is severely prejudiced. This is apart from violating the petitioner’s privacy, and the content, without any justification, exposes the petitioner to ridicule and harassment by the public at large.”

The court noted that the episode from Crime Stories: India Detectives is available for viewing to all the registered users of the OTT platform and this could subject the accused to harassment and prejudice. It thus issued the temporary restraining order and issued a notice to Netflix asking for a response.

Lift Review: A Solid Psychological Horror Film

BY On October 2, 2021

I am not the biggest advocate of watching horror films over OTT. I love the atmosphere of the cinema hall as the darkness sets in with just the dim red exit light showing you the way out in case the film gets too overwhelming. I love the big screen experience with a rambunctious crowd making jokes at the worst possible times to ease the tension. And then there is the sound mixing that envelops you in truly remarkable horror films like Krasinksi’s A Quiet Place or Jordan Peele’s Us. So when I started to watch Vineeth Varaprasad’s Lift – fully prepared with noise cancelling headphones – I was pleasantly surprised to find I did not miss the big screen experience for most of the film’s two-hour runtime.

Lift starts off with Kavin‘s Guru joining an IT company as a team lead. There, he meets Amritha‘s Harini, an HR person in the company, with whom Guru has a not-so-cute history. This lightness at the start with these two is not so over the top that it takes away from the horror portion that the film slowly, but neatly segues into after the first 20 minutes.

Writer-director Vineeth Varaprasad‘s ability to hold our attention from the first time Guru recognises there is a supernatural presence in the mix, through his attempts to escape that presence over the next 60 minutes, is extremely commendable. The first hour of Lift is hands down one of the best horror experiences in Tamil cinema. In this stretch, the cinematography, sound mixing, editing, and just the sheer ability to keep different horror tropes running extremely seamlessly, are all on point. The director’s ability to keep us engaged with different storytelling mechanisms is something that I have not seen since Ashwin Saravanan’s fantastic debut, the horror film Maya.

That said, Lift comes undone in the last 20 minutes, when the director decides to use the flashback to shoehorn in an explanation for the supernatural presence. But, even in this massive misstep, the way he narrates the flashback, using a certain character at death’s door, is impressive.

Lift is one of those rare films that respects the boundaries of its genre. It uses more psychological means to induce horror than your regular jump scares. And it uses the motif of the lift inside a corporate building to signify the trappings of everyday human life – one of the existential themes that the film boldly tackles. That it does all this while providing ample acting opportunities to Kavin and Amritha, reminds me of a certain other young debutant in 2012 – Karthik Subbaraj with Pizza. It is not a direct comparison, but if history is anything to show, Vineeth Varaprasad and Kavin should be able to lift themselves up with subsequent films.

*****

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

Deadly Combination of Children’s Games and Gunshots: ‘Squid Game’ Review Plus 7 Shows & Movies to Watch After

BY Ananya Shankar On October 1, 2021

If you have been scrolling through social media in the last two weeks, chances are that you have come across at least one reference to Squid Game. This Korean survival thriller series dropped on Netflix two weeks ago and now, it has the chance of becoming the most popular show on the streaming platform.

When the prize money is 45.6 billion dollars and all you have to do to win is play six children’s games, who would not sign up? That is exactly what 456 desperate and broke people thought when they signed up (voluntarily) to play in a competition called Squid Game. But they missed out on one detail before signing the contract: elimination means death. Squid Game is really just Takeshi’s Castle or Wipeout with death by gunshots.

While shows based on survival games are not new, Squid Game stands out in its ability to churn out twist after twist. The show never lets up over its nine episodes and is able to shock the viewer at every turn. Creator-director Hwang Dong-hyuk establishes early on that no one is safe in the competition.

The series can be a lot to stomach as it takes seemingly normal things and makes them shockingly disturbing. Simple games like carving shapes out of a honeycomb and tug-of-war result in mass deaths as people fail to complete the task.

Everything about the show is questionable, including its unlikely protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), a poor chauffeur and gambling addict who enters the competition to provide for his 10-year-old daughter and later, his diabetic mother. He is joined by former friend Sang-Woo (Park Hae-soo), pickpocket Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon), and illegal Pakistani immigrant Ali (Anupam Tripathi). Gi-hun also forms a close bond with contestant 001 (O Yeong-su), a frail man who is battling dementia and a brain tumour.

Squid Game is really a metaphor for classism and capitalism. With poor and desperate people competing, who have no say in the food they are served, bedtimes, and even the use of a restroom. In stark contrast, the people who watch the games for pleasure are extremely wealthy and they bet on the participant’s lives while sipping on expensive whiskey and are adorned with golden masks.

The best thing about the series is not the games but the drama and interpersonal conflicts that take place during those six days. While the games bring plenty of chilling and nail-biting moments, unexpected events take place in the dormitories where the participants sleep. Alliances are formed just as quickly as they break, showcasing that each of them is on their own. With betrayals, suicides, and violent deaths taking place constantly, the trauma is endless.

This is accentuated further by an eerie but fantastic background score by composer Jung Jae-il.

One of the few places where Squid Game feels weak is the introduction of the VIPs. In true Hunger Games-esque fashion, these elite members watch the participants trying to survive the deadly games from an extravagant screening room. The flat dialogues and poor delivery make it underwhelming, bordering on clichéd.

If you look past the emotionally turbulent and shocking nature of Squid Game, it is really just an uncomfortable tale about the realities of the society we live in. And if you are on a survival drama kick after Squid Game, here is a list of seven more things that you can watch:

Alice in Borderland (2020)

Much like Squid Game, this series focuses on a group of individuals in Tokyo who must participate in deadly games chosen from a deck of cards. While hiding from a group of cops, a gamer Arisu and his two friends are transported into an alternate reality. Here, Tokyo is an abandoned ghost city and the trio is forced to compete in a series of dangerous games and quests in order to survive.

3% (2016- Present)

This Brazilian series is set in a dystopian world where the elite and privileged live on an affluent island while the poor live among squalor in a place called Inland. Every year, 20-year-old residents from Inland get a chance to go to the island if they pass a series of tests. However, the tests are intense and deadly and only 3% of the competitors emerge successful.

Battle Royale (2000)

Battle Royale is a Japanese film about a group of high school students who are taken to a remote island to compete with each other in lethal games until only one of them is left standing. Founded by a totalitarian government, the game is used as a means to curb juvenile delinquency. The movie is a cult classic that served as the inspiration for The Hunger Games and several popular video games.

Cube (1997)

This Canadian film focuses on six strangers who end up in identical cubic cells and have no recollection of how they got there. They realise that they are stuck in a maze and some of the rooms are set up with threatening traps. All of them have to rely on their special skills and talents to leave the place. As they try to escape the maze, tensions arise and secrets are revealed causing them to turn on each other. A Japanese remake of the film is slated to release on October 22.

Ready or Not (2019)

Starring Samara Weaving and Adam Brody, this movie is about a newly-wed woman whose in-laws tell her to choose a children’s game to play from a series of cards after the wedding ceremony. When the bride chooses hide-and-seek, it is revealed that the seemingly innocent game has a sinister twist where her new family plans to kill her as part of a family ritual.

The Hunger Games (2012)

Based on the books written by Suzanne Collins, this wildly popular film stars Jennifer Lawrence as the protagonist Katniss Everdeen. In a dystopian future, the nation of Panem is split into 12 districts. Each year, a boy and girl are chosen from the districts to compete in the Hunger games – a dangerous event that is televised for people to watch. When her younger sister Primrose is chosen to compete, Katniss volunteers to go in her stead and finds herself pitted against highly-trained and deadly competitors from other districts.

Gymkata (1985)

Gymkata is an excellent choice when you need a break from graphic violence. Critically and universally panned, the film has a rating of 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film follows a gymnast Jonathan, who is approached by an American secret agency to travel to a remote country and enter a deadly competition. However, in the last 900 years, no outsider has won the tournament. Known for its poor visuals, ridiculous action sequences, and terrible setting, the film is now watched ironically for providing unintentional comic relief.

Shiddat Review: An Insufferable Film on a Man Who Crosses State Borders for an Obsession

BY Aswathy Gopalakrishnan On October 1, 2021

The subject of illegal immigration gets a bizarre representation in Shiddat, a Hindi language film written by Shridhar Raghavan and Dheeraj Kedarnath Rattan, and directed by Kunal Deshmukh. Jaggi (Sunny Kaushal), an unemployable young man from Punjab, hitchhikes to Europe to sabotage the wedding of a woman with whom he had a brief affair in India. There is a problem – she had made it clear in multiple instances that she never loved him and would not marry him. Nevertheless, the man does not stop, and to his aid comes an Indian diplomat who goes out of his way to help him reach the wedding venue. In the film’s universe, a man’s obsessive romantic feelings take precedence over cases of illegal border crossings caused by poverty and civil war.

Shiddat features several Bollywood clichés about Punjab. It opens to an elaborate upper-class wedding scene. A cheerful background score follows the hero everywhere he goes, even when, at one point, he passively harasses a woman he spotted at a swimming pool that he gatecrashed with his sexually frustrated friends to ogle at “fair-skinned chics in wet clothes (sic).”

But the clichés aside, Shiddat is an infuriating film that flattens out a complicated plot, centred on a man’s self-destructive obsession, into a delusional account about soulmates. Jaggi, a hockey player with little interest in the game, falls head over heels in love with Kartika (Radhika Madan) at first sight. She grew up in London and is a professional swimmer in Amritsar. He starts to stalk her after a bitter first meeting and interprets an instance of casual sex as a promise for a lifetime together. When she leaves for London to marry her fiancé, he follows her, for he believes his shiddat – passion – will change her mind.

Kartika’s disinterest in a marriage with Jaggi is the film’s villain, the biggest hindrance in his pursuit of a soulmate. In their first meeting, he clicks a picture of her without her consent and posts it online, leading to strangers on the street passing lewd remarks on her body. One would think this instance of harassment flags the natural death of a possible romance between them. But the film’s universe grants him leeway. Isn’t everything supposed to be fair in love?

The film seldom pays attention to the woman’s side of the story. She remains a voiceless object of Jaggi’s affection. She weakly protests when he ignores personal boundaries or mansplains her about swimming, although he is a terrible swimmer, and eventually, she submits to his neurotic romance. She states that she would cancel her wedding in London if Jaggi succeeds at snatching her away from the altar. He takes up the challenge. “My love comes with a lifetime guarantee,” he declares, and the film agrees by playing a corny violin in the background.

A toxic male gaze characterises the film. Consider this scene. Jaggi, at the house of Gautam (Mohit Raina), an Indian diplomat in Paris, notices the cereal packets and milk cartons in his refrigerator. He asks the latter if he doesn’t miss his estranged wife. No, he isn’t referring to her company but the food she used to bring to his table. “I can see it in your eyes that you miss her aloo parathe…,” Jaggi enthuses. Men fall in love and marry because they can’t live forever on bland ready-to-eat food. True love is not letting go of that woman who can cook.

While it makes little sense to point out logical errors in a film as silly as this, one can’t help but mention the scene where Gautam, on a professional assignment, divulges the issues in his married life to an illegal immigrant in an interrogation room. Every time Jaggi playfully violates his bounds, he plays along. That said, Raina’s convincing, aptly subtle performance as Gautam is the only silver lining in this film that goes from odd to insufferable.

Radhika Madan, one of the best actors working in contemporary Bollywood, struggles to fit into the role of a stereotypical heroine who is defined solely by her relationship with the hero. She doesn’t get a good moment to shine, and worse, she seems as clueless about Kartika’s motivations as the viewer is.

Sunny Kaushal is devoid of the charisma that makes an actor a star, but he plays the role wholeheartedly, remarkable in the moments where Jaggi weeps and writhes in heartache. He rightly interprets Jaggi as a variant of Arjun Reddy, an embodiment of cockiness. Unlike Reddy, Jaggi has the bearing of a happy-go-lucky guy who likes to chat away rather than brood. But both men are capable of inflicting similar damages on people around them, especially on the women they take an interest in.

*****

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

Suriya’s ‘Jai Bhim’ to Release on Amazon Prime Video on Nov 2

BY Anusha Sundar On October 1, 2021

Jai Bhim, the upcoming Tamil film starring Suriya, is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on November 2, nearly a year after the actor made his digital debut with Soorarai Pottru on the same platform.

The film will release in time to mark the occasion of Diwali, the streaming platform announced on Friday.

Suriya’s 39^th film, Jai Bhim will feature the actor as a lawyer fighting for tribal communities. It is written and directed by filmmaker TJ Gnanavel, who has previously made the 2017 romantic comedy film Kootathil Oruthan.

Produced by Suriya and his wife and actor Jyotika, under their 2D Entertainment banner, Jai Bhim is part of the four-film deal of the banner with Amazon Prime Video. The announcement of the film’s release comes a day after the platform revealed the premiere date of the Jyotika-starrer Udapirappe, which is also part of the deal. Udapirappe, which highlights sibling relationship, is set to release on October 14.

Sean Roldan has composed the music for Jai Bhim, which is co-produced by Rajsekar Karpoorasundarapandian. Apart from Suriya, the film also stars actors Rajisha Vijayan, Rao Ramesh, Prakash Raj, and Sanjay Swaroop, among others.

Speaking to Silverscreen India earlier, a source in the know said Jai Bhim will be based on real events that took place at the Madras High Court and will be a courtroom drama with socio-political elements. The film went on floors in February 2020 and took about a year to finish filming.

According to a press release issued by the streamer, the film is a “fine blend of mystery and drama,” and will delve into the lives of a tribal couple, Senggeni and Rajakannu. “Ill fate strikes them as Rajakannu gets arrested and eventually disappears with no clue in sight. Out of despair, Senggeni seeks the help of a lawyer Chandru (Suriya), who takes it upon himself to unearth the truth and bring justice to the destitute tribal women of the state,” the synopsis reads.

Jai Bhim will also release in Telugu.

Scarlett Johansson, Disney Settle ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit

BY Shrija Ganguly On October 1, 2021

Actor Scarlett Johansson and Disney reached a settlement on Thursday in her lawsuit over Black Widow’s hybrid release. Johansson will continue to work with the multimedia giant, including in the upcoming project Tower of Terror, according to Variety.

While details of the settlement were not disclosed, the actor had sued seeking $50 million as compensation from the studio.

Johansson filed her lawsuit against Disney in July, alleging breach of contract after the simultaneous release of Black Widow in theatres and on Disney+ on July 9. The actor, who played the role of Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, said her agreement with Disney-owned Marvel Entertainment came with the guarantee that the film would have an exclusive theatrical release, with the box-office performance determining her salary. She further said the film’s hybrid release was an intentional breach of the agreement in order to prevent her from realising “the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel.”

Disney had earlier termed the suit “sad and distressing,” and called out Johansson for her “callous disregard” of the Covid-19 situation. The studio claimed that the digital release “significantly enhanced” Johansson’s chances of earning additional compensation on top of her $20 million fee. Disney had also filed for a stay on Johansson’s lawsuit, calling it a stunt to “generate publicity through public filing,” and moved for confidential arbitration.

The studio said the decision to go with a hybrid release for the film was reached taking into account the looming pandemic situation across the globe, and after consultation with Johansson.

Black Widow, based on Johansson’s character as a Russian spy, saw an opening weekend collection of more than $215 million, including $80 million at the US box office, $78 million in international box office earnings, and over $60 million through Disney+ Premier Access consumer spend globally. The film’s current worldwide collections stand at $378 million.

Post the settlement of the lawsuit, Johansson said in a statement, “I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come.”

Alan Bergman, chairman of Disney, reflected similar sentiments, and added, “We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney’s Tower of Terror.”

‘Sardar Udham’ Trailer Out; Shoojit Sircar Says the Idea for the Film Came to Him 20 Years Ago

BY Anindita Banerjee On October 1, 2021

Shoojit Sircar, director of the upcoming Amazon Prime film Sardar Udham, said the idea of making this film came to him almost two decades ago.

Speaking at the trailer release of the film on Thursday, Sircar revealed that he started researching the subject back when he was in college. “When I came to Delhi to study, although I got offers from many colleges, I went for Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. So much was my interest in him and Indian history. While researching more and more about Bhagat Singh, I became well-read about the Independence movement in Punjab and also Sardar Udham Singh. Since then on, I wanted to make a film on this subject.”

Sircar further said that while he wanted it to be his first project, due to lack of money, he could not pursue it. “Just as Saradar Udham Singh waited 21 years to take his revenge, I too waited two decades to tell this story,” he added.

The film is the story of Sardar Udham Singh, a gallant and patriotic man who fought courageously against the British subjugation of India. The story is touted to showcase the undying bravery, fortitude, and fearlessness of an unsung hero, from the deeply buried annals of our history. The film focuses on the mission of Sardar Udham Singh to avenge the lives of his brethren, who were ruthlessly murdered in the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919.

Actor Vicky Kaushal will be seen essaying the titular role in Sardar Udham.

Speaking about the film during the trailer release, Kaushal said stories of such heroes were familiar to him from childhood. “I did not have to refer to any history books to know more about Sardar Udham Singh because I have grown up listening to his stories. He was a person who had taken an oath to avenge the bloodshed. His story is of resilience, bravery, and that of a very passionate person. Through this film, I wanted to explore those aspects in me as well.”

Sardar Udham also stars Shaun Scott, Stephen Hogan, Banita Sandhu, and Kirsty Averton in pivotal roles and features Amol Parashar in a special appearance.

‘Bhramam’, ‘Lift’ & More – 7 New OTT Releases This Week

BY Ramya Ashok Kumar On September 30, 2021

After a long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Maharashtra government announced earlier this week that theatres in the state could reopen on October 22 in time for Diwali. Soon after, several filmmakers began announcing the theatrical release dates of their upcoming films, such as Rohit Shetty‘s Sooryavanshi, Bunty Aur Babli 2, Satyameva Jayate 2, and Laal Singh Chaddha, among many others.

The release announcements continued with Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi and Ajay Devgn’s Maidaan and shares of PVR and Inox Leisure also surged.

It remains to be seen how Indian cinema will use OTT platforms with theatres across the country poised to resume functioning soon.

Meanwhile, here are seven new films and shows releasing on OTT platforms this week:

1. Bhramam – Amazon Prime Video (October 7)

Bhramam, starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, is the Malayalam remake of the 2018 Hindi black-comedy crime thriller Andhadhun. According to the official synopsis, the film revolves around the life of Ray Mathews, a pretentious blind pianist who finds solace in his music. His musical escapades, however, get laced with mystery as he gets involved in the murder of a yesteryear actor. As lies and deceit envelop Ray, he must turn the tables to save his life.

2. Lift – Disney+ Hotstar (October 1)

Lift, starring actors Kavin and Amritha Aiyer, is an upcoming Tamil horror film that revolves around a series of mysterious incidents that take place in an elevator.

3. Shiddat – Disney+ Hotstar (October 1)

Starring Sunny Kaushal, Radhika Madan, Mohit Raina and Diana Penty, Shiddat is a Hindi film that tells the story of two star-crossed souls engulfed in a web of passionate romance.

4. Break Point – ZEE5 (October 1)

The web series traces the journey of Indian tennis legends Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. From their meteoric rise to their shocking split, Break Point narrates their story of hard work, conflict, and hope.

5. The Guilty – Netflix (October 1)

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, this film takes place over the course of a single morning at a 911 dispatch call centre. Call operator Joe Bayler tries to save a caller in grave danger but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.

6. Maid – Netflix (October 1)

Maid is a limited series that is inspired by the New York Times best-selling memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land. It will chronicle the story of a single mother who turns to housekeeping to make ends meet as she battles against poverty, homelessness, and bureaucracy. Told primarily through her point of view, Maid is said to be a gritty and inspiring exploration of poverty in America.

7. Bingo Hell – Amazon Prime Video (October 1)

In the horror thriller Bingo Hell, a senior citizen must fight to protect her neighbourhood from an evil force that has taken over the local bingo hall and is killing the residents. The film is directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero from a screenplay co-written with Shane McKenzie and Perry Blackshear. It is the fifth instalment in the Welcome to the Blumhouse film series.

‘Squid Game’ Has a Good Chance of Becoming Netflix’s Biggest Show Ever, Says Co-CEO Ted Sarandos

BY Shrija Ganguly On September 30, 2021

Squid Game, the Netflix show that started streaming on September 17, will be the streamer’s “biggest non-English language show in the world, for sure,” said Co-Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos on Monday, according to a CNET report.

Speaking at the Code Conference in Los Angeles, Sarandos added that the Korean show “has a very good chance” of becoming Netflix’s biggest show ever.

Squid Game is “an imaginative, unorthodox story in which 456 contestants risk their lives in a mysterious survival game for a chance to win 45.6 billion won,” as per Netflix’s synopsis. All the 456 participants play one game each day as they race towards the prize, and the price of failure is death.

The show is written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, who has films like Miss Granny to his credit. Miss Granny has been remade in Telugu as Oh Baby! with Samantha Akkineni.

Dong-hyuk first conceived Squid Game as a film and began writing it in 2008. Noting that this was right after his debut, he said, “That was a time when I frequented comic book stores. As I was reading a lot of comic books, I thought about creating something like a comic book story in Korea.”

However, Dong-hyuk shelved the idea and continued work on his other projects, as it seemed “unfamiliar and violent” then. “There were people who thought it was a little too complex and not commercial. I wasn’t able to get enough investment and casting was not easy,” he added.

The series examines human nature and how we change from childhood to adulthood by showing adults revisiting and playing children’s games. Dong-hyuk said, “I wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life.”

The cast of Squid Game comprises actors Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Oh Young-soo, Wi Ha-Jun, Jung Ho-yeon, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryoung, among others.

Netflix announced on Wednesday that Squid Game became the first Korean series to top the charts on the streaming platform in the US.

While Sarandos did not provide any data to support his claims about Squid Game, according to the numbers shared at the conference, Bridgerton is currently most watched show on Netflix in terms of both number of accounts that viewed it (82 million households) as well as viewing hours (625 million). The first metric counts subscribers who view the content for at least 2 minutes.

Extraction is the most popular film on the platform with 99 million households, while Bird Box is the most watched in terms of the viewing hours (282 million).

Earlier, on Saturday, at Netflix’s global fan-event TUDUM, new teasers of Bridgerton Season 2 and Extraction 2 were unveiled.

Busan International Film Festival 2021: Nushrratt Bharuccha, Ali Fazal Bag Nominations at Asian Contents Awards

BY Anindita Banerjee On September 30, 2021

Actors Nushrratt Bharuccha and Ali Fazal have bagged nominations at the Asian Content Awards by Busan International Film Festival 2021.

ACA is a commitment of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) to encourage more original productions and better creatives by recognising outstanding content and talented professionals in the Asian region. It grants awards to outstanding TV, OTT, and online content from Asia. Founded in 2019, this year marks the third edition of the event.

Bharuccha bagged the Best Actress nomination for her role in Netflix‘s anthology Ajeeb Daastaans. The actor starred in the short film titled Khilauna, directed by Raj Mehta, which was a part of the anthology. Bharuccha will compete with Tsuchiya Tao for Alice in Borderland, Song Jia for A Little Dilemma, Bae Doo-na for Stranger 2, and Lee Si-young for Sweet Home for the award.

The actor said in a press release, “Ajeeb Daastaans is one of those films I did purely for myself, purely for the passion I have for films, stories, and cinema. Being recognised on a global stage for it is just so overwhelming. I am ecstatic to be nominated by Busan International Film Festival 2021 for its 3rd Asia Contents Awards. So honoured to see my name alongside other talented actors from different countries. This nomination gives me more impetus to follow my calling with renewed fervour to do what I love every day!”

Fazal, on the other hand, bagged a nomination in the Best Actor category for his portrayal of Ipsit Nair in Forget Me Not, one of the four films in the Ray anthology on Netflix. Directed by Srijith Mukherji, the story is a modern interpretation of Satyajit Ray’s story Bipin Chaudhary Ka Smriti Bhram. Zafar plays the role of a cut-throat corporate shark that never forgets anything and has the memory of a computer.

On the nomination, Fazal said in a press release, “Wow! This was totally unexpected. I am so humbled to receive this nomination and it means a lot to be recognized by ACA. A lot of great content was produced this year in Asia and to land a nomination amongst such an impressive lineup of films and actors is an honour.”

He is nominated alongside Terrance Lau for Leap Day, Bai Yu for The Long Night, Lee Je-hoon for Move to Heaven, Sakai Masato for Hanzawa Naoki, and Song Joong Ki for Vincenzo.

The ACA will be a hybrid online and on-site event held on October 7. Local attendees, including the hosts, will participate on-site from Busan, while overseas nominees across Asia will attend online. The show will be hosted by the TV personality and entrepreneur Mark Tetto and Kim Sae-Yeon, a participant of Miss Korea 2019, who has been a host of ACA since its first edition.

‘Paachil’ is a Comedy Thriller Web Series Set in a Calicut Village during the 1st Covid-19 Lockdown

BY Anusha Sundar On September 29, 2021

Paachil, the upcoming Malayalam web series, is a comedy thriller about a local neighbourhood in a Calicut village during the Covid-19 pandemic, its production designer Akhil K Raj told Silverscreen India.

The teaser of the series was launched by various film personalities, including filmmaker Pa Ranjith and actor Parvathy Thiruvothu, on Friday. The series, produced by Dravida Entertainments, is directed by Suresh Kuttyraman. Bineesh K has penned the story.

“Paachil means a desperate run in Malayalam,” Akhil said. “The series is set during the first Covid-19 lockdown, when people were not really prepared to deal with it. It is about a local neighbourhood’s desperation in the wake of that sudden lockdown announcement, due to which a group of people who give each other company over alcohol, make a choice to save what they have. The show follows the lives of the villagers and the situations they encounter.”

According to Akhil, the series features a large cast of characters with no defined leads. While Mithun Nalini, who has acted in films like Theevandi (2018) and Kali (2016), plays a pivotal role, most of the cast members hail from a theatre background, including Subin K, Choot Mohanan, LED Sreejith, and Kallu Kallyani.

“The first season is about revealing every character and reaching a point where there is a suspense in every storyline. We end the first season by opening up all the sub-plots and the second season is where the story develops into a drama,” Akhil added.

The shooting of the first five episodes (about 13-15 minutes each), which comprise season one, was completed in January, in Calicut. The series has been shot by cinematographers Vishnu Pradeep and Rahul NB.

The team will start filming the second season after completing the post-production work of the first season.

Akhil revealed that the team plans to premiere the first episode of the series in October, with each subsequent episode releasing after a two-week gap. “We explored OTT options, but now plan to release it on our YouTube channel,” he added.

Hoichoi Season 5 Slate: ‘Byomkesh 7’, ‘Montu Pilot 2’, ‘Eken Babu 5’, among 20 Originals Announced

BY Namrata Ganguly On September 28, 2021

New seasons of popular series like Byomkesh 7, Montu Pilot 2, and Eken Babu 5 are part of the upcoming slate announced by Bengali streaming platform Hoichoi on its fifth anniversary on September 25. The OTT’s new content will include 20 originals as part of its targeted 100 originals by the end of 2022, along with several world digital premieres.

Other shows and movies coming up include Srikanto, Mahabharat Murders, Troilokkyo, Rudrabinar Obhshaap, Uttaran, Tiktiki, Indu actor Anirban Bhattacharya’s feature film directorial debut Mandaar, the web series Swapan Kumar Obolombone Bottolar Goyenda, Anjan Dutt’s Khyapa Shohor, and actor Ritwick Chakraborty’s digital debut series Gora.

The lineup also consists of some Bangladesh content, five of which have been announced: Boli, Karagar, Kaiser, Bodh, and filmmaker Ashfaq Nipun’s Sabrina.

Speaking to Silvercreen India about the business aspect, market expansion and growth of the streaming platform in its fifth year, Hoichoi’s co-founder Vishnu Mohta says he is “very excited about what lies ahead.”

According to a statement from the streaming platform, Hoichoi has seen a two-fold growth in its overall watch-time and monthly active streaming users and a 4x growth in viewership, not only in India but also in Bangladesh. The monthly subscription numbers in Bangladesh have also doubled every month since last year.

Though the Covid-19 pandemic is a contributing factor in this expansion, Mohta says it primarily comes down to the marketing. “We focus a great deal on our shows, not just the movies. Since we’ve got a huge treasure trove of data and feedback from customers, we go into shows with a lot more clarity on what the customer wants, what we sell and what we didn’t do so well. I think the pandemic has given us the opportunity to take this to the next level.”

While the investment of multiple brands has contributed significantly to the expansion, Hoichoi does not want to include advertisements in its streams, assures Mohta. He says he has been very selective about their brand collaboration and it is only for the purpose of providing free content to the audience. “From the audience perspective, people who are not subscribers can also sample a lot of content. It’s a win-win situation.”

Hoichoi, which began with a primarily young adult audience, has now transcended that age bracket and reaches out to audiences ranging from teenagers to their grand parents. “People of all age brackets and social backgrounds watch online content. That is why we have a combination of new and old content – we’ve got content that goes back 50 years,” Mohta says.

The platform is also aiming to identify the right content mix for countries like the US, UK, Australia and Canada, which already contribute 40% of the overall direct subscription revenue for the platform.

With its increasing international reach, Hoichoi is planning to launch digital gift cards and offer a ‘Freemium’ subscription this Durga pujo season across countries like the US, UK, Australia, Singapore and the Middle East that will offer special pricing plans.

While theatres and cinema halls have slowly started reopening, Mohta is still confident that Hoichoi’s revenue will continue its upward trend thanks to the content that is to come.

Though Hoichoi is an exclusively Bengali streaming platform, it has recently also released Bengali content dubbed in Hindi, which he says has received a good response. In view of this, there are plans to expand into other languages as well in the future, he adds.

Hoichoi has recently featured digital debuts of popular filmmakers such as Anjan Dutt and Srijit Mukherji, and content from them is lined up in the season 5 pack as well. However, since OTTs are still in their infancy, Mohta believes this is a good time to experiment. So the platform will continue to feature budding filmmakers and actors, he says. “A lot of fresh ideas come from people who are relatively new. So we are always excited to work with new talent.”

On the new regulation of OTT platforms with the introduction of the new IT Rules 2021, Mohta says “I think it’s a very fair, democratic and progressive way of handling content because it has democratized the escalation matrix. Any customer can put forward their views and complaints, which the platform has to then evaluate. It has been working great over the last few months. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to have a conversation.”

Parminder Nagra to Headline ITV Series ‘DI Ray’, a Crime Thriller That Tackles Racism & Identity Crisis

BY Shrija Ganguly On September 28, 2021

Parminder Nagra, who shot to fame with the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, is set to headline the British series, DI Ray, commissioned by ITV, the channel announced on Monday.

The four-part crime thriller will revolve around a murder investigation and explore the subject of racism in the workplace. It will be filmed in the central part of England during the autumn of 2021.

Written and created by screenwriter Maya Sondhi, known for starring in Line of Duty, the show will follow the story of Leicester-born Detective Inspector Rachita Ray (Nagra), who takes on a case that forces her to confront a lifelong personal conflict between her British identity and her South Asian heritage.

Rachita achieves the promotion she’s been waiting for when she’s asked to join a homicide investigation. However, on her first day she’s told the murder to which she’s been assigned is a ‘Culturally Specific Homicide.’ She suspects she’s a ‘token appointment’, chosen for her ethnicity rather than her ability, according to ITV‘s statement.

The drama delves into the personal identity crisis that Rachita has buried her whole life. It asks difficult questions about what it’s like to be British but feel ‘other.’

It is to be noted that Nagra was born in Leicester, UK to immigrant Indian parents. “I am so looking forward to getting back to the UK after such a challenging time globally to be part of this exciting new project,” the actor said.

On creating DI Ray, Sondhi said, “This is a project which is deeply personal for me as a British Asian Brummie (a person from Birmingham) woman. It’s only in the past 10 years or so I’ve really been able to truly embrace my heritage. So much of this show is my story and in telling it honestly, I hope others from all different backgrounds will relate.”

DI Ray will be produced by Jed Mercurio’s HTM Television and Charlotte Surtees. Mercurio (Line of Duty, Bodyguard) will executive produce the series, alongside Madonna Baptiste (The Stranger, Black Mirror, Stephen). It will be directed by Alex Pillai, who has to his credit shows like Bridgerton, Sabrina, and Riverdale.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali Talks About ‘Heeramandi’, Terms the Web Series “Vast and Ambitious”

BY Anindita Banerjee On September 27, 2021

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who recently announced his first web series Heeramandi, revealed that it was conceived 14 years ago, when speaking about the show in a featurette on Netflix India’s Tudum event on Saturday.

“Heeramandi was something that my friend Moin Baig got to me as a 14-page story, 14 years ago. When we finally presented it to Netflix, they loved it and thought it had great potential to make a mega-series,” Bhansali said.

“It is very ambitious; it’s very big and vast. It tells you the story of courtesans. They had music, poetry and dance, and the art of living. It shows the politics within the brothels. It is a difficult one, but I hope we come across with flying colours this time,” he added.

While no official announcement has been made about the cast of the series, it is known that Heeramandi will explore stories of courtesans and the hidden cultural reality of Heeramandi, a dazzling district in pre-Independence India. “It’s a series about love, betrayal, succession, and politics in the kothas which promises Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s trademark larger-than-life sets, multi-faceted characters, and soulful compositions,” a press release from Netflix had earlier stated.

The director, who made his debut with Khamoshi: The Musical in 1996, celebrated his 25th anniversary in the industry this year.

Recollecting his first experience on a film set, Bhansali said, “I remember when I was a four-year-old kid and my father had taken me to a shoot. He said, ‘You sit here and I’ll meet my friends and come’. I was in the studio and it seemed the most comfortable to me. More than a school, a playground, a cousin’s house, or anywhere in the world. I thought it was the most beautiful place. When I look back at the last 25 years, it’s very precious to me because you have to be blessed to be able to get a chance to make a film. That’s why I cling on to the studio because the studio floor is the most magical. That’s my temple; that’s my everything.”

Bhansali is known for his larger-than-life films such as Devdas, Padmaavat, Bajirao Mastani, Guzaarish, Ram Leela, and Black.

Apart from Heeramandi, the filmmaker also has a couple of other upcoming projects, namely Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi, which has completed shooting, and Baiju Bawra, which was announced in 2019 but is yet to go on floors.

Midnight Mass Review: Slow But Poignant Tale on the Horrors of Blind Faith

BY Ananya Shankar On September 26, 2021

Creator-director Mike Flanagan established a long time ago that he really knows his way around the horror genre. He gave us hits like Doctor Sleep and Hush and 2020’s anthology series The Haunting of Bly Manor.

Now with Midnight Mass, he delivers the same concept albeit in a different manner. Rather than making a series that focuses on hauntings and ghosts, Flanagan takes on the horrors of blind faith and religious extremism in his latest outing with Netflix. But this does not mean that the jump scares and spooky elements are completely missing.

Set in a remote fishing island called Crockett where the population is only 127, Midnight Mass is a story of a poor and down-on-its-luck community that begins to miraculously revive after the arrival of a new priest Paul Hill (Hamish Linklater). Old people start to de-age and a girl whose spine was injured in an accident can suddenly walk again. But as always, things are never what they seem.

One of the things that makes Midnight Mass an engaging story is its ability to steer clear of cliches. It is not a simple and repurposed version of an evil priest who charms the town. He is not an evil man with dark intentions. Through his deep and complex characterisation and actions, Flanagan draws our attention to self-righteousness, grief, addiction, and of course, religion over the course of seven episodes.

The series essentially begins with Riley Flynn’s (Zach Gilford) release from prison after running over a girl four years ago under the influence of alcohol. He comes back to Crockett or as the townsfolk call it ‘Crock Pot’. This fishing hamlet is known for two things- its fervent religiosity and poverty after a devastating oil spill which nearly kills the entire fishing habitat. His return to home coincides with Father Paul, who claims to be replacing the town’s aged priest Monsignor Pruitt while he recovers from an illness.

There is also Riley’s old girlfriend Erin Greene (Kate Siegel) who has come back to town and taken on the role of a high school teacher. She is a colleague of Beverly, (Samantha Sloyan) an intolerant and xenophobic woman who runs the local church. There is also the town sheriff Hassan (Rahul Kohli), local doctor Sarah (Annabeth Gish), and the town mayor Wade (Michael Trucco) and his family.

Paul’s entrance is not marked without incident. Hundreds of dead cats are washed near the shore after a storm, a creature with glowing eyes can be spotted when it’s dark, and Riley even spots Monsignor Pruitt during a storm. And soon, people and pets start to die. But only one by one, so the town hardly takes notice.

Linklater’s portrayal of the mysterious and charismatic priest is the show’s driving force. He is the generous, young pastor who goes to people’s homes to conduct mass. He does all of this while hiding a dark secret and that is enough to keep you hooked. The arrival of Father Paul and the sudden disappearance of the town’s old priest is the show’s central mystery. The answers to this mystery are something that you can never see coming and that is what sets it apart from other horror stories on religion and cultism.

These scenes are amplified by the hymns and gospel songs that are played in the background and the sermons that the Father gives to his enamoured congregation.

Midnight Mass plays out more like a supernatural drama rather than a full-blown horror series. It is dialogue-driven and there is very little action in the first couple of episodes. There are long talks about faith in the church, there are alcoholic anonymous meetings with Riley and Paul where they debate belief and God, and there are discussions about creating non-religious spaces in schools during parent-teacher conferences. The show uses these places to discuss horror- at least that of the real world. It is mostly about the problems that we see in society. For instance, the sheriff struggles with authority and acceptance in a predominantly Catholic town. Some of them even call him “Shariff” and rejoice when his son Ali decides to attends church.

Perhaps, the only issue is its slow pace. With each episode spilling over an hour, the chilling moments only feature once or twice. They still jitter the viewers but it does not feel like it is enough. The final two episodes see the return to familiar territory with the show steering towards out-an-out macabre and morbid fest. But it can sometimes feel like it came in too late.

Midnight Mass almost always strikes the balance between traditional and metaphorical scary elements making it a gripping and one-of-a-kind horror tale.

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This Midnight Mass review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the movie. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.