The upcoming CBS show The Activist, that was announced last week as a competition show with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Usher, and Julianne Hough as hosts, will be reimagined as a primetime documentary special, the makers said on Wednesday. The news comes in the wake of severe online backlash over the show’s original concept.
While the show was earlier slated to premiere on October 22, the statement from the makers notes that a new air date will be announced.
The Activist was supposed to feature pairs of activists from the sectors of health, education, and the environment competing for a chance to present their cause at the G20 summit in Italy.
While the makers claimed that the show was aimed at spreading awareness about real issues, the announcement did not go over well with netizens, who called it out for pitting activists against one another for the purpose of entertainment and monetary gains.
Consequently, CBS along with partners Global Citizen and Live Nation released a statement on Wednesday acknowledging their misstep. “Global activism centres on collaboration and cooperation, not competition. We apologise to the activists, hosts, and the larger activist community – we got it wrong,” they said.
The statement further added that the makers are “changing the format to remove the competitive element and reimagining the concept into a primetime documentary special (air date to be announced). It will showcase the tireless work of six activists and the impact they have advocating for causes they deeply believe in. Each activist will be awarded a cash grant for the organization of their choice, as was planned for the original show.”
It is unclear if Chopra, Usher, and Hough will continue with the project. Critics of the original concept had also raised issue with the fact that the show was going to be hosted by three non-activist privileged people.
Of the three, Hough released an apology statement on Instagram on Wednesday, that highlighted the complaints against the show and its hypocrisy. “I heard you say that the show was performative, promoted pseudo-activism over real activism, felt tone-deaf, like Black Mirror, The Hunger Games, and that the hosts weren’t qualified to assess activism because we are celebrities and not activists,” she wrote.
“I also heard you say that trying to value one cause over another felt like the Oppression Olympics and totally missed and disrespected the many activists who have been killed, assaulted, and faced various abuses fighting for their causes,” she added.
Speaking about her association with the show, she said, “I felt it would help educate, mobilize, and inspire people around the world to get involved in activism because many worthy causes need attention, funding, and most importantly, the power to effect real change.”
Noting that she did not “have all the answers yet” to the questions raised, she added that she had shared people’s concerns as well as her own with the “powers that be.”
Hough’s controversial use of blackface in 2013 also resurfaced amidst the backlash against The Activist. Addressing this, she said she regretted her what she did then to this day, and stated that it was a poor choice based on her own “white privilege and white body bias that hurt people.”
Varun Dhawan, the Hindi actor, is set to make his digital debut with the upcoming American Drama series Citadel, reports Quint.
Citadel is an action-adventure espionage series that will consist of a “mothership series” and other local languages “satellite series,” says the report. Dhawan is expected to play the lead in the Indian spin-off series, which will be directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK.
Created by Anthony and Joe Russo, the main series will feature Priyanka Chorpa-Jonas and Richard Madden. It is currently being filmed in the United Kingdom and is scheduled to stream on Amazon Prime Video from January 2022.
The Indian leg of Citadel is expected to start production early next year. However, an official confirmation is awaited.
The report also states that the local productions of Citadel will be set in India, Mexico, and Italy. While the satellite series will be independent of the main series, there will be crossovers with the main series and cross-references between the various local series. The cast and crew of the Indian segment of Citadel are expected to be officially announced soon.
Chopra had shared photos of herself from the shoot of Citadel on social media last month. While she is yet to reveal her full look, the actor keeps sharing pictures from behind the scenes.
From no films at all, to three big-banner films, this week saw films like Gopichand‘s SeetiMaarr, Kangana Ranaut’s Thalaivii, and Vijay Sethupathi’s Laabam, hit the big screens. Amidst all the cheer around an expected rise in the footfall in cinemas, Nani‘s Tuck Jagadish slipped an OTT release, on Amazon Prime Video, thereby, adding to the competition, albeit differently.
Besides the releases, Telugu film, Love Story, featuring actors Sai Pallavi and Naga Chaitanya, postponed its release date to September 24, the makers announced on Friday- the day on which the film was supposed to hit the screens.
Silverscreen India brings to you reviews of all the films that released this week, both online and offline:
Nani’s Tuck Jagadish finally saw the light of the day on Friday, owing to its much controversial digital release, that followed despite Telangana theater owners having requested the producers to opt for a theatrical release.
During a conference for the trailer launch, Nani said, “If, when the situation gets better and things are back to normalcy, my films and I don’t go to theatres, I will ban myself.”
“Tuck Jagadish belongs to the new Telugu cinema that borrows elements from the erstwhile leftist Erra Cinema that portrayed the struggles of the peasant community in the region, not because it endorses the ideology of the latter but because it looks cool,” wrote Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India.
She blamed the “unimaginative writing” for having failed the film despite its several twists.
Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu, wrote that while the film makes for an engaging family drama, it could have “sidestepped predictable tropes” and the length could have been shortened.
However, Vishal Menon of Film Companion, called this “clever writing” in which “when you get that shocker of a massy interval twist, you sit up and start taking the film seriously.”
This Vijay Sethupathi-starrer is the first Tamil film to opt for a big-screen release post reopening of theatres in Tamil Nadu with 50% capacity from August 23.
According to Arunkumar Sekhar of Silverscreen India, while the film “occasionally attempts to show rather than tell” with those moments standing out, it suffers from what he called the “Superman” problem.
“When your hero is so infallible, what can be a conflict truly worthy of him? And what of his character arc from the start to the end of the movie? When your hero is so good, your villain has to be even better.”
Ranjani Krishnakumar of Firstpost, called the film laughable and mediocre, despite best intentions.
“It is mired by tiresome public speeches, awkward fights, dance numbers and television debates, none of which add any value to the story.”
Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion, reflected similar sentiments, and said, “There’s no character development and so people start and end up in the film the same way. There’s no story development either in terms of something interesting happening. We’ve seen all of these ideas in much better movies. ”
All the reviewers further criticized the casting of actors like Shruti Haasan and Sai Dhansika, who had very little to offer.
Laabam‘s box office collections reflect that the audience’s response did not fall from that of the critics’. According to a Silverscreen India report, the film had a dull opening.
“Laabam’s first-day collection is very poor and even the occupancy rate is 3-5% only across Tamil Nadu,” said Srither S, joint secretary of Tamil Nadu Theatres Association.
However, Venkatesh, owner of Woodlands Cinemas, Chennai said that the collections are improving on a daily basis with the occupancy in night shows slowly picking up.
Kangana Ranaut‘s Thalaivii which was a biopic on the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa feel flat for both critics and audiences.
Featuring Arvind Swami, Samuthirakani, and Nasser, in their respective pivotal roles of MGR, RM Veerappan, and MK Karunanidhi, the film barely made a mark. Many started that the film which claimed to cover the life of a woman, sidelined her and focused on the male characters instead.
Arunkumar Sekhar of Silverscreen Indiawrote that the film “takes the convenient route by ending exactly with Jaya’s ascension to the highest political post in the state. It is as vanilla a treatment that a public figure of the stature of Jayalalithaa can get.”
Ranjani Krishnakumar of Firstpost, also called the film ‘convenient’ and said that it does not delve into the political complexities.
Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hinduwrote, “That she broke out of the male-dominated political sphere to become a larger-than-life figure, is beside the point. That she was sandwiched between the men, is the larger point.”
Thalaivii was pegged as one of the major contributors of the revival of Indian cinemas until the film opted for a two-week screening window in theatres before an OTT release for its Hindi version.
Mltiplexes like PVR and Inox refused to screen the Hindi version of the film and appealed to the makers to increase the theatrical window. However, the producers did not budge.
This resulted in a limited screening of the film which released in Tamil and Telugu too.
According to a Box Office India report, Thalaivii collected around Rs 80 lakhs in Tamil Nadu and approximately Rs 1.25 crore nationwide. Theatre owners said that apart from the content not being good enough, the Hindi-speaking audience have got very little to resonate with.
Ruban Mathivanan, managing partner of GK Cinemas in Chennai, while speaking about Thalaivii’s poor performance in single-screen theatres said “It is actually an upper-middle-class catering film which means the multiplexes will see more audience for it. As far as single screens go, it might not be able to pull too much crowd.”
Photo Caption: Dikkiloona Movie Stills Starring N Santhanam
This Santhanam-starrer comedy film is said to have followed the story of Mani, a man who resorts to time-travel in order to make changes to his married life.
While the film stands with an IMDbrating of 7, it fell flat for the reviewers.
Sinndhuja of Silverscreen India, wrote, “In a bid to reinvent himself, Santhanam switches the background of his latest act to a newer – and drearier one – but fails to realise that his brand of humour is no longer viable. The jokes are truly petty and the snark doesn’t sit right.”
Praveen Sudevan of The Hindu, pointed out that the actor employed of the usual trope of insult comedy. In this case, it was for women.
“There are quite a few logical loopholes too. But let’s not get into that. For, we can suspend disbelief in a sci-fi comedy… but should we suspend our sense of humour, too?” he said in his review.
Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion, remarked that the film fails to put into use, the concept of a time-machine, and thus, “A movie that deserves a certain treatment ends up becoming a Santhanam movie that’s neither here nor there.”
Photo Caption: Tughlaq Durbar Movie Stills Starring Vijay Sethupathi
Vijay Sethupathi’s Tughlaq Durbar, directed by debutante Delhi Prasad Deendayalan, is the story of a politician who aspires for a party seat, and would do anything for it. He suddenly develops a conscience that holds him back from doing the wrong thing.
In her review, Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen Indiawrote, “The screenplay fails to expand on situations, or look into the emotional damage the lead characters cause to the people in their life. It gropes in the dark, cursorily examining different scenarios and sub-characters.”
Baradwaj Rangan, of Film Companion, also shared a similar view and wrote, “They don’t know how to make the best screenplay from the one-line. This twist is seen in a lot of films about bad politicians who only want to make money.”
Haricharan Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times, called the film a “predictable but entertaining political comedy.”
All the reviewers said that characters played by the women in the film- Manjima Mohan and Raashi Khanna were nothing but props.
Tughlaq Durbar has a current rating of 6.3 on IMDb.
Apart from these films, Gopichand’s Telugu film Seetimaarr hit the screens and went on to collect around Rs. 4 crore, the highest any Indian film has earned on the first day of release, since theatres in the country reopened after the second wave of Covid-19, as per a Box Office India report.
Apparently, Santhanam has come to realise that one can never be ageless as in a comic strip. In Dikkiloona – as the name goes – he tries to level up. By getting a wife. He’s no longer the carefree single man tripping up everyone and everything that has the misfortune of existing within the range of his vision. He’s now married – and amazingly – is the troubled one. Not that it deters him from slapping his co-actors with cringe-worthy one-liners, but you get the drift. His life’s a joke, and his wife is no longer the girlfriend he could cozy up with. There begin the hero’s woes.
In Dikkiloona, Santhanam is a “lineman” with the TNEB, dissatisfied with his work, life, marriage, and just about anything he sets his eyes on. He arrives to fix an electricity outage at a hospital for the mentally frail, pokes fun at the doctors, patients, their clothes. He discovers an old garage, finds a differently-abled “scientist” inside, calls him something unsavoury. He chances upon Yogi Babu, tears apart his hair.
Even as Santhanam in suspenders and nerd glasses is a sight to behold, they do little by way of packaging his lines well. There isn’t a moment in the film that is genuinely funny. The setting is terrible: Santhanam is Mani, his screen name barely used in the film by any of his co-stars because none of them are allowed to talk up to him. The screen names of his co-stars though, are generously mentioned, only to be trampled upon immediately. Mani, disillusioned in marriage and career, indulges in a pity party, and a two-and-a-half-hour-long sequence about the evil that seems to have a hold on his life: his wife.
In a bid to reinvent himself, Santhanam switches the background of his latest act to a newer – and drearier one – but fails to realise that his brand of humour is no longer viable. The jokes are truly petty and the snark doesn’t sit right. The character’s ire is primarily directed at the women in the film. Mani marries, realises marriage ain’t easy, blames wife. Mani goes back in time with the help of a time machine, chooses a different woman – nuh uh. He’s more miserable than ever. Now with no other woman in sight (or written into the script), Mani blames his wife’s parents for not raising her right.
Added in the mix are tropes of morality and womanhood that act as a powerful anaesthetic – come to think of it, they could have been administered sooner. Instead, we endure a rather painful ordeal of staying put as our senses repeatedly come under assault. Dikkilona’s ludicrous premise and ideals though point to a certain infallible fact about the crew of the film: the men in there are in dire need of therapy.
*****
This Dikkilona 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.
Naduvan, the upcoming Tamil feature film starring actor Bharath in the lead, is set for a direct digital release on SonyLIV, the makers of the film announced on Thursday.
Written and directed by debutant filmmaker Sharang, the film also marks the maiden production venture of Cue Entertainment.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Sharang, who has previously acted in films such as Inidhu Inidhu and Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam, says, “Naduvan, which means middle man, is a thriller drama that is set against the hill station backdrop of Kodaikanal. Bharath plays the role of a businessman and certain negative events happen around him without his knowledge. People around him wear masks and are fake and not faithful. Finally, he understands what is happening and how he reacts forms the rest of the film.”
“When I approached Bharath, I told him that it was not a hero-oriented film but a story involving a lot of characters, of which his would be the main one. And he was game to try it out,” he adds.
Expanding on the rest of the cast, Sharang says the film also features theatre artist Aparna Vinod (who has acted in the Malayalam film Kohinoor), Gokul Anand, Aruvi Bala, and Yog Jaypee.
“Aparna plays Bharath’s wife, who has a child with him and is also a school teacher. We cast her through auditions. Gokul essays the role of Bharath’s business partner, and he was the first choice for his character. Yog Jaypee plays a police inspector.”
The filmmaker reveals that the film is divided into named segments and follows a non-linear screenplay. “I first conceived the idea for the backdrop of the climax. And then I started to write the script keeping that in mind because I wanted the story to end that way. It was sort of like reverse engineering.”
The film was shot by cinematographer Yuva in Kodaikanal and Chennai in a single 45-day schedule, the director adds.
Sunny Sawrav has edited the film, which has a runtime of two hours and three minutes. Naduvan features three songs composed by Dharan.
Speaking about the film’s direct OTT premiere, Sharang says, “It is the production’s call. We made the decision before the reopening of theatres. We have not yet announced the release date, but it should be out by the end of the month.”
The filmmaker adds that Naduvan will be released in three languages, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu, with the latter two being dubbed versions.
Sharang is next working on a segment for a horror anthology and a thriller script for another feature film.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Julianne Hough, and Usher will be hosting the upcoming CBS show The Activist, the network announced on Thursday.
The competition series will have pairs of activists from the sectors of health, education, and the environment competing for a chance to present their cause at the G20 summit, that is scheduled to be held in Italy.
The show will premiere on October 22, reportsDeadline. The five-week reality series will feature six activists from around the world, who are working to bring change to one of the three aforementioned sectors, going head-to-head in a series of challenges. The success of the participants will be measured in terms of online engagement, social metrics, and hosts’ opinion.
While the makers claim that the show will spread awareness about real issues, the announcement did not go over well with netizens, who are calling it out for pitting activists against one another for the purpose of entertainment and monetary gains.
Photo Caption: Netizens tweet against the show and the artists; Credit: collage by Silverscreen India
Some Twitter users pointed out that instead of creating a show, the makers could have donated an amount towards a cause. English actor and activist Jameela Jamil wrote, “Couldn’t they just give the money it’s going to take to pay this unbelievably expensive talent and make this show, directly to activist causes? Rather than turning activism into a game and then giving a fraction of the much needed money away in a ‘prize’…? People are dying.”
The Guardian columnist and social movement lawyer Derecka Purnell said, “Oh no. This is a show about influencers, not activists.”
Some Indian netizens also called out Chopra for her alleged hypocrisy in agreeing to host this show while choosing to remain silent on the issues in India.
Journalist Vidya Krishnan wrote, “Priyanka Chopra, who has remained Modi’s supporter through thick and thin, as he jailed students, activists, poets and intellectuals in India… is hosting The Activist show to promote social justice in America! The hypocrisy is nauseating.”
Neither CBS nor the three artists have commented on the backlash yet.
Within the first eight minutes of Tuck Jagadish, a Telugu language drama directed by Shiva Nirvana, four men are gruesomely murdered, in separate incidents of land disputes. Scenes of betrayal, high-pitched wailing and battered life in a village ruled by a brutal landlord. However, in the ninth minute, the film changes costume to become a comedy. The hero’s homecoming. Jagadish (Nani) enters in a shiny car, rolling out deadpan humour. In his palatial house, he reunites with a horde of relatives who, like diligent stage artistes, come forward one by one and perform soap-operatic melodrama. The background score oscillates unevenly between mawkish and upbeat.
In Tuck Jagadish, emotional continuity is as petty a concept as subtlety.
At the centre of the film are two feudal families. Jagadish, the scion of one of the families, possesses a laughably heightened version of righteousness. In an early scene, he is seen carefully tending to an injured fowl. At the same time, Veerendra (Daniel Balaji), the head of the second family, is a blown-up villain who flexes his muscles and clenches teeth for reasons as minor as a wailing infant. A thoroughly remorseless murderer, the latter is also a habitual sexual harasser. He controls the local land revenue office, the film’s centre of conflicts, using money and muscle.
Veerendra is the yin to Jagadish’s yang; an uncouth villager diagonally opposite to an educated modern man who likes to dress like he is ready for office any time. When the villain sets out to grab the peasants’ farm plots, the hero abandons his boyishness and assumes the role of the village’s guardian.
Tuck Jagadish belongs to the new Telugu cinema that borrows elements from the erstwhile leftist Erra Cinema that portrayed the struggles of the peasant community in the region, not because it endorses the ideology of the latter but because it looks cool. In an early scene filmed like a joke, the hero and his friends disguise themselves as Naxalites and assault a corrupt officer at his official guest house. In a pivotal scene, Jagadish urges the peasants to take on Veerendra and claim their right to work on their land. A folk song about agriculture begins in the background, only to metamorphose a couple of lines later into a devotional song that praises the late landlord (Nasser) and his suave, educated son. The landlord is not a despicable entity in Tuck Jagadish, but a redeemer, an overseer of reforms.
There are twists aplenty in Tuck Jagadish but, thanks to unimaginative writing and staging of scenes that render the narrative bumpy, none of them are convincing. The pivotal revelation scene is inserted into the narrative in the silliest manner, likely to cause even the most loyal mass cinema viewer to go, “Really, now?!”
And Jagadish is not a character worth empathising with or rooting for. He does not undergo a journey but stays still and detached throughout the narrative, like a demi-god powered by his lineage. Now and then, he reminisces about his childhood, his eyes welling up and a piece of sentimental music playing in the background. However, the flashback bits show a nondescript childhood, nothing deserving the spectator’s attention.
The film’s most treasured secret is the duality of his personality. For the viewers who might feel disappointed by the hero’s aversion to violence in the early scene, the film offers several gifts in the latter half of the narrative. Jagadish unleashes bloody assault on the villains, severs limbs and breaks bones while being careful to keep his facial muscles still and hairdo intact. Do not be fooled by the young landlord’s tucked-in shirt and sophisticated ways, the film gloats, for he can perform gravity-defying stunts and carry a sickle around like any masala movie hero.
Nani, whose greatest strengths are his comic timing and a natural charm that makes him tick in romantic comedies, stiffens up and imitates his inferior contemporaries, turning Jagadish into a lifeless cliche. The courting scenes featuring him and Ritu Varma, who plays a junior officer at the land revenue office, are dull. The actors’ performances seem half-hearted, as though they feel romance is beneath their characters. Varma, a solid actor, is wasted in a role where she plays the hero’s sidekick who looks at him in awe and pride in regular intervals. Also, the film has Aishwarya Rajesh, a fantastic actor, in a supporting role that could have been played by a table lamp.
What makes mass movies work are the little things – cliches turned on their heads, quirks in sync with the narrative’s internal logic, and a hero who knows his strengths. Tuck Jagadish has a masala exterior, but it uses a poor mix of sentimentality and a show of uprightness to narrate the story. There isn’t a clever or lively rewatchable moment in the narrative. All there is, is an all-pervading blandness.
****
This Tuck Jagadish 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.
Laabam starring Vijay Sethupathi released in theatres on Thursday and Thalaivii starring Kangana Ranaut, which has been shot in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu, is all set to release in theatres on Friday. Multiplex chains are however unhappy with the release of the film’s Hindi version on OTT within two weeks of its theatrical premiere.
Even as several films are opting to release in theatres, several others are taking the OTT route.
Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.– September 8 (Disney+ Hotstar)
Based on the 1989–93 ABC television series Doogie Howser, M.D., Doogie Kameāloha, M.D is an American family medical comedy-drama developed by Kourtney Kang. The series revolves around a 16-year-old aspiring medical prodigy trying to balance her budding medical career and the daily challanges of teenage life.
Mumbai Diaries 26/11– September 9 (Amazon Prime Video)
Starring Konkana Sen Sharma, Mohit Raina, Tina Desai and Shreya Dhanwanthary, the series is set against the backdrop of the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26, 2008, and is based on the stories of the doctors, nurses, paramedics and hospital staff when the city faced unprecedented danger. Mumbai Diaries 26/11, a medical thriller, “pays homage to the frontline workers and celebrates the undying human spirit”.
Blood Brothers: Malcolm X Muhammad Ali– September 9 (Netflix)
The documentary tells the “story behind the friendship of two of the most iconic figures of the 20th century: Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X,” as per the official synopsis. The documentary, inspired by the book “Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X” written by Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith, features never before seen archival footage.
Tuck Jagadish- September 10 (Amazon Prime Video)
The Nani starreris a Telugu action drama film written and directed by Shiva Nirvana. “Set in the tinsel town of Andhra Pradesh, the film narrates the life and journey of Jagadish Naidu (played by Nani) as he traverses through the ups and downs in his family life thereby highlighting the special bond and conflicts between siblings in his closely-knit joint family,” reads the official synopsis of the film.
Borun Babur Bondhu– September 10 (Hoichoi)
Previously screened at the 25th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) in 2019 and the Third Eye Asian Film Festival and the Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, Ohio in 2020, Borun Babur Bondhu stars late Soumitra Chatterjee. The film revolves around a strong-willed octagenerian Bonrunbabu (played by Chatterjee), who finds himself at the center of all attention after an old friend writes to him about visiting his house.
Lucifer Season 6– September 10 (Netflix)
Based on the DC Comics character taken from the comic book series The Sandman, Lucifer is an American urban fantasy television series. While Fox had cancelled the series after three seasons, Netflix picked up the series and in 2019 renewed it for a fifth season. Season 6, premiering on Friday, marks the finale of the series.
Tughlaq Durbar– September 11 (Netflix)
Tughlaq Durbar, the Vijay Sethupathi starrer, is a Tamil political drama television film premiering on Sun TV on Friday and on Netflix a day after. The film revolves around a budding politician who “has devious plans to rise in the ranks, until he suddenly develops an alter ego that interferes with his every crooked move,” as per IMDb.
WarnerMedia announced on Wednesday that it will launch HBO Max, its direct-to-consumer streaming platform, in Europe, on October 26. The first six countries in Europe to gain access to the platform will be Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain, and Andorra.
HBO Max will be unveiled at a virtual launch event that will also introduce the content being offered, and the pricing.
“This is a historic moment as HBO Max lands in Europe,” said Johannes Larcher, Head of HBO Max International. “WarnerMedia movies and series like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and TheBig Bang Theory are passionately consumed by fans all across Europe, and HBO Max has been created to provide them with the most intuitive and convenient viewing experience to watch these and a diverse range of other amazing titles.”
WarnerMedia additionally announced HBO Max’s roll-out to 14 territories in 2022, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
The company recently revealed that it also plans to expand into Asia, and specifically India, with HBO Max.
During a media and telecommunications conference on Tuesday, Larcher said, “We aspire to be in India with HBO Max at some point.” He added that local content will be a prerequisite for success in the country. However, he provided no timeline for the move into India.
Meanwhile, rumours about the launch of HBO Max in India erupted after WarnerMedia announced a new release strategy for Warner Bros films on HBO Go, the company’s video on demand platform, in Asia. As per the new plan, Warner Bros releases like The Suicide Squad will be available to stream on HBO Go as early as 45 days after their in-market theatrical premiere in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
There has, however, been no India-specific announcement from the company.
But, on Tuesday, OnlyTechreported the assumed pricing that HBO Max is apparently eyeing ahead of a potential India launch.
Subscribers will reportedly have a choice of three monthly plans and two annual plans. All five plans will offer access to content in all languages and allow the creation of up to five viewer profiles.
The ad-supported plan, priced at Rs 69 per month, will reportedly allow streaming in Standard Definition (SD) on up to two concurrent devices. If HBO Max is launched with this plan as its starting point, it will be the lowest price that any international OTT platform has offered in the country yet.
The mobile plan, priced at Rs 139 a month, will reportedly allow ad-free SD streaming but only on a single mobile or tablet at a time. The standard plan, priced at Rs 329 a month, will allow ad-free streaming in 4K resolution on up to three concurrent devices.
The annual plans will reportedly comprise two price brackets: a mobile plan priced at Rs 1,001 and a standard plan priced at Rs 1,974.
Indian cinemas trickled back to functioning after the release of films like Fast and Furious 9, and Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Indian films like Bellbottom and Chehre, continued in theaters despite substandard performances at the box-office.
The upcoming week, however, has three big Indian releases including Laabam and Love Story in the theaters, and Tuck Jagadish on Amazon Prime Video.
Silverscreen India brings to you an assessment of performances of some of the major releases, both offline and online:
One of the most anticipated releases this year was the Amazon original film Cinderella, that marked the acting debut of pop-singer Camilla Cabello. The modern musical adaptation of thie fairy tale has been directed by Kay Cannon, and comes with many firsts. It includes the first ever Latino Cinderella, and the first ever gender-neutral fairy-godmother or Fab G.
However, contrary to the buzz that the film created, its reception fell flat for both viewers and the critics.
Prahlad Srihari of Firstpostwrote, “Framed by the conceit that this iteration of the fairy tale has been recontextualised by 21st-century gender politics, Cinderella gets quite shouty about it,” and called the film an “ill-conceived attempt at revamping the fairy tale.”
Soumya Srivastava of Hindustan Times, called it the film the most “disappointing” of all the versions and renditions of the fairy tale, so far.
Critics agreed that the film set was average, and the music, out of place.
Photo Caption: Poster of Fast and Furious 9; Credit: IMDb
The ninth installment of the Fast and Furious saga which went on to become the first Hollywood film amidst the pandemic to garner over $500 million through box-office collections, clearly owes its credit to the pandemic according to reviews from critics.
The action franchise, headlined by Vin Diesel, has once again proved its mettle in terms of providing high-end action scenes with cars jumping, racing and flipping. However, the film has fallen flat with regard to its story line and individual performances. The only performance that stood out is that of the newest addition of WWE performer John Cena.
Rohan Naahar of the Hindustan Timescalled the film “conceptually insane”. He called the film a classic example of committee-driven studio filmmaking at its worst.
Aditya Mani Jha of Firstpost, reflected a similar sentiments and wrote, “The best thing about F9 is that the sprawling cast is, by and large, in on the joke. They know exactly what this film is about and they do not try to deliver seven ounces of acting where two spoonfuls suffice.”
The film has an IMDbrating of 5.2. Its current collections stand at over $700 million worldwide.
Photo Caption: Poster of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings; Credit: IMDb
While Marvel’s Black Widow had an online release in India depriving its people of an anticipated cinematic experience, Marvel balanced it out by releasing in general by first Asian super-hero on the big screen through Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
The film features prominent actors including Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Meng’er Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, and Ben Kingsley, among others. Marvel’s 25th film follows Shang Chi’s (played by Liu) path to self-discovery after his induction into the Ten Rings organization.
The film has been lauded for its original story with characters like Shang-Chi’s father and the villain Leung being the highlight. However, there the differences in opinion regarding the screen time given to Awkwafina’s character Katy, and Zhang’s Xu Xialing has been a popular debate online.
Rohan Naahar of the Hindustan Timeswrote, “Shang-Chi, although it treads familiar thematic ground, feels positively radical in both its style and texture.”
Anupama Chopra of Film Companioncalled the film a “strong step forward,” and she noted, “The writing doesn’t have the heft or depth of that film. And while Simu Liu as Shang-Chi is likeable and effective, especially in the fight scenes, he can’t yet command the frame or summon the complex emotions that Leung does with such ease.”
The general attitude towards the film resonates with th reviewers’ and viewers’ ratings as the film has an IMDbrating of 8.1.
Shang-Chi also seems to have broken Bellbottom‘s record of the film with the highest opening weekend, and seems to have garnered Rs. 3.54 crore rupees on the first day of its screening in India. Its world box office collections for the first weekend stands at over $50 million.
Photo Caption: Poster of Black Widow; Credit: IMDb
The most anticipated film since Avengers: Endgame, Black Widow fails to have made a mark with both the critics and the audience.
The Scarlett Johansson-led film is a prequel that picks up from Captain America: Civil War (2016) and follows the past life of Natasha Romanoff, a former Russian spy.
Suchin Mehrotra of Firstpost, begins and ends his review by saying that Natasha Romanoff deserves better. He adds that the film is a “reminder of one of the MCU’s greatest failures.”
Gayle Sequeira of Film Companion, notes that Black Widow occasionally succumbes across as “the MCU’s penchant for big blockbuster excess.” However, she writes that the films provides an individual narrative to Natasha Romanoff as well.
Critics further point out the differences in the portrayal of Natasha Romanoff in Black Widow, directed by Cate Shortland, and other Marvel films, majorly directed by men.
Sequeira draws a comparison between Avengers:Age of Ultron (2015), written and directed by Joss Whedon, and Black Widow. While Romanoff’s character is said to have grieved and blamed for her inability to bear children, “In Black Widow, her foster sister Yelena Belova (an excellent Pugh) direct that gaze outwards, describing to her father in excruciating detail. They also speak about how her uterus and ovaries were surgically removed.”
Despite its shortcomings, the Black Widow seems to have collected over $350 million worldwide, and stands with an IMDb rating of 6.8.
Helmet (Zee5)
Photo Caption: Poster of Helmet; Credit: IMDb
The film, headlined by Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee, and Ashish Verma, addresses the stereotype attached to buying condoms in India.
While the issues seems to resonate with the critics, the execution has somehow failed to work out.
Rahul Desai of Film Companion, calls it a “half-hearted and generic North Indian social dramedy.”
He adds, “The purpose of course, is to reveal the stigmas and contradictions of the Great Indian Middle Class. But the problem with Helmet, like most others, is that the film wants to be the cure too. As a result, the montage features Indian women reminding their partners to wear a condom to adopt the veneer of tacky songs”.
Anna MM Vetticad, of Firstpost, calls the film a brave attempt and says it is significant for highlighting the importance of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted diseases. She notes that the film “takes that initial risk but then holds itself back.”
However, she remarks that it “also acknowledges that sex workers serve an important role in society. Even the fleeting reference to men viewing condoms as disruptors of their sexual pleasure is noteworthy for a mainstream film.”
Patty Jenkins, who directed the Wonder Woman films, termed movies that release on streaming platforms ‘fake’, during a panel discussion at CinemaCon, reportedLos Angeles Times.
The filmmaker made her comment when talking about the hybrid release of her sequel to the 2017 film Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman 1984, which hit theatres on December 25, 2020, along with a simultaneous release on HBO Max in the US.
Calling the decision, which was an outcome of the coronavirus pandemic, a difficult choice yet the best one under the circumstances, Jenkins said, “I hope to avoid it forever. The truth is I make movies for the big screen. I’m okay with people watching it for a second or third time on their phone, but I’m not making it for that experience.”
She further said, “All of the films that streaming services are putting out, I’m sorry, they look like fake movies to me. I don’t hear about them, I don’t read about them. It’s not working as a model for establishing legendary greatness.”
When asked if streaming and theatricals can co-exist, Jenkins, who has a series deal with Netflix said, “Streaming is great for massive amounts of content and bingeing TV shows. I think they are two very different skill sets and I see them succeeding as two very different things.”
The panel at CinemaCon, a gathering of theatre owners and studio executives in Las Vegas, revolved around the future of cinema and also included Paramount Pictures domestic distribution president Chris Aronson, Marcus Theatres CEO Rolando Rodriguez and Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi.
It is notable that soon after the announcement of the hybrid release of Wonder Woman 1984, Warner Bros announced that their entire 2021 slate of films will release on HBO Max as well as in theatres on the same day.
It is also interesting to note that while Wonder Womangarnered around $822 million worldwide, its sequel collected less than $167 million from theatres across the world.
Earlier, Steven Spielberg, a vocal critic of streaming platforms, announced a multi-year collaboration between his Amblin Partners and Netflix. In 2019, Spielberg had stated that films releasing on OTT must not qualify for the Oscars. He had further urged audiences to go to the cinemas instead of opting for Netflix.
Rahul Bose, the Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, social activist, as well as Rugby player, says he has a special “love affair” with Kolkata while discussing his new Bengali web series Rabindranath Ekhane Kokhono Khete Ashenni (REKKA).
“I love Bengal. I love Kolkata. I’m half Bengali and I love everything about the city,” he shares. “So much of my good work has come out of Bengal.”
Bose, who quit Rugby to portray a wide range of characters in films, serials, theatre and web series across several languages, including Hindi, English, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada, returned to Kolkata to play a detective in REKKA.
The nine-part series that released on Hoichoi this month is directed by filmmaker Srijit Mukherji. It is based on the thriller novel of the same name written by Bangladeshi writer Mohammad Nazim Uddin. The show also stars Bangladeshi actor Azmeri Haque Badhon and several Bengali actors, such as Anirban Bhattacharya, Anjan Dutta, and Anirban Chakraborty.
The series revolves around Mushkan Zuberi (Badhon), who owns a mysterious restaurant named Rabindranath Ekhane Kokhono Khete Ashenni (‘Rabindranath never came here to eat’) in a small town near the Bangladesh border. Top detective Nirupam Chanda (Bose) ends up at her restaurant investigating multiple missing cases while disguised as a journalist. Chanda discovers Zuberi’s shocking past, where she survived a plane crash, and the things that eventually led to her setting up the restaurant. He also faces the first defeat in his career.
Bose, who has worked in several commercial Hindi films, including Pyaar Ke Side Effects, Jhankar Beats, Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam, Kucch Luv Jaisaa, and Chameli, has also been part of National award-winning works such as the Bengali films Antaheen and Anuranan as well as parallel cinema such as English, August, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, The Japanese Wife, and several others.
He has also directed the films Everybody Says I’m Fine! (2001) and Poorna: Courage Has No Limit (2017).
In the OTT space, he has previously appeared in the Netflix Hindi web series Bombay Begumsand the Netflix Hindi film Bulbbul.
In conversation with Silverscreen India, Bose discusses REKKA, his love for Bengal, his choice of roles, the increasing respect for writers over the years, and his upcoming directorial.
Still from the set of ‘REKKA’ Photo Source: Hoichoi
You have played a detective previously in the 2014 Bengali film Shondhey Namar Aagey, and you are once again playing a detective in REKKA. What is different or new with this one?
They’re very, very different characters. In Shondhey Namar Aagey, the character refused to speak because he just couldn’t bear the weight of the world and that had scarred him deeply. In this one, the character is articulate, strong, ambitious, has a sense of humour, while also being restless with his own demons to fight. He strongly believes in justice, which is common among all detectives, I suppose. But otherwise, they are very, very different characters.
You have worked with Srijit Mukherjee and most of the cast for the first time. How was the experience?
I’ve worked with Anjan Dutta before in Mr. & Mrs. Iyer. But yes, I’d never worked with Srijit before. He is intelligent, talented, funny, creative – so we had absolutely no problems collaborating and getting along. Anirban Bhattacharya is a fantastic actor and a wonderful human being, and it was great to work with him. There was also Badhon, who I found to be a very talented actress and also a very intelligent human being. So in all, it was a very pleasant, smooth, constructive and fun experience.
What was it like to work on a Bengali project after such a long time?
Fantastic. I love Bengal. I love Kolkata. I’m half Bengali and I love everything about the city. I have taken heritage walks across Kolkata, I’m rediscovering the city. Our lives have always been steeped in Bengali culture and it’s one of the most beautiful parts of the world. It is just a massive pleasure for me to go back to shoot there. And so much of my good work has come out of Bengal – Mr. & Mrs Iyer, TheJapanese Wife, Anuranon, Antoheen. Bulbbul also we shot in the zaminder bari outside Bawali. We shot this series in Medinipur. We drove there every day; eight hours a day on the road for 10 days. It was really hard, but I just love the Indian countryside.
I also have a special love affair with Kolkata. Whether it is Nandan (a film and culture centre) or walking through Park Street or playing squash or tennis in one of the clubs or going for a run on the streets or even driving. And of course, there’s all the Bengali food – maachher jhol, maachh fry, Pabda, Rui, Bhetki, Ilish, I just want fish when I’m in Kolkata, whatever form you make is fine. Aparna Sen (Bengali actor) has a fantastic table as does Tony (filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury). Jeet and Mala Banerjee are fantastic too. I just go to Kolkata and I shamelessly eat at everyone’s house.
Still from the set of ‘REKKA’ Photo Source: Hoichoi
Is your love for Bengal the reason you chose a Bengali web series?
No, it’s not why I did REKKA. I’ve never cared about language. I go wherever I want to work. I’ve worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu. I’ve done Before The Rains (2008 English Malayalam bilingual film) with Santosh Sivan. I’ve just done an English series for one of the top OTT platforms.
So what is it that draws you to a certain role or film?
Well, it’s the same four factors that draw any actor to a role – the director, the writing, the role, and the co-actors. For me, I would add a fifth: does this character drive the film? If this person wasn’t there, will the film exist? For instance, take my character Maanav in Dil Dhadakne Do (2015 Hindi film). Although he is not one of the six main characters, without him, there is no film. That’s very important to me.
Generally, actors tend to get stereotyped very quickly. How have you managed to avoid that to bag such different characters every time?
I’ve done 42 films in 30 years. That’s a lot of waiting. But my body of work is very important for me. Even if I do fewer films, there should be an interesting range in my work. So, I prefer to wait. I haven’t got a Bengali film for seven-eight years now.
People are lazy and most people are not terribly intelligent. So they obviously ask you to play the same thing. I was an abusive man in Dil Dhadkne Do, I was an abusive man in Bulbbul. And just yesterday, I got the role of an abusive man in a big Hindi film. I said no.
I have so many other things to do in my life. I’m on the Indian Rugby board, raising money for the sport and looking into two or three big infrastructure projects for it. We’re looking at promoting girls Rugby, tribal Rugby. And then I have the two NGOs I run, The Foundation and HEAL. I am also going to direct my own film in January next year and I’m writing the script for that. So I have enough to do.
Still from the set of ‘REKKA’ Photo Source: Hoichoi
You have worked in films that have strong female protagonists as well as films that are directed by women. Is this a conscious decision or do you just find yourself drawn to scripts with a strong female lead?
Of course, it’s a conscious decision. Nobody forced me to do this. Everything I do reflects my world view, my concerns, and my preoccupations. That said, I will not pick a bad script or a qualitatively inferior project just because there’s a woman in it. The project has to be good, regardless of whether it is a woman calling the shots or a man.
You have worked with so many renowned filmmakers since the 90s. What do you think has changed over the years? Any recent trends that you like or dislike?
I see a change in the respect that writers get, which I’m glad about. The importance of writers has increased. Because of OTT, unless something is written well, you just switch to something else. It doesn’t matter how big the star is anymore. Thanks to OTT, the audience is now used to superior content from across the world. Why would you care about a bad OTT show/movie featuring some Hindi movie star? You will never watch it. So it’s the writing that’s important now, and that’s a great change.
Still from the set of ‘REKKA’ Photo Source: Hoichoi
What do you feel is different about shooting for this medium compared to making a film?
Zero. There is no difference as an actor. It is not like I can not act properly in this episode, because I have to save energy for the next one. You just have to do exactly what the role demands. There will be a difference between arthouse and commercial projects though. So what kind of content you’re working on matters, not the medium it will be released on.
You mentioned working on the script of your next directorial. What can you tell us about it?
It’s a sharp, biting satire. Very funny, but also very… I can’t say sad, but very poignant. Any satire has to be painful at its second level. So it is that. I’ve written 80 pages so far.
Will you be starring in it as well?
No, I won’t. Once you see the film, you’ll realise why I’m not in it. I will play a cameo, but no major role. I’m not one of those pathetic actors-directors who cast themselves. I know some directors who fancy themselves as actors and keep casting themselves shamelessly in film after film. That’s not my style.
Chehre, the Hindi film starring Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi, which was released in theatres on August 27, had an unimpressive showing at the box office during its first weekend. Its two-day earning was less than that of Akshay Kumar’s Bellbottom on day one.
Meanwhile, theatres in Tamil Nadu which were allowed to reopen from August 23, received only a lukewarm response from moviegoers during the first weekend. Theatre owners, however, believe that new releases like the Vijay Sethupathi-starrer Laabam and the Kangana Ranaut-starrer Thalaivii, which are set to release on September 9 and 10, will draw the audience to theatres in good numbers.
However, OTT releases show no signs of slowing down. Silverscreen India has curated eight new films and shows releasing this week on streaming platforms, including big banner productions like Money Heist (Part 5) and Cinderella.
The Spanish heist crime drama series follows an unusual group of robbers who attempt to carry out the most perfect robbery in Spanish history – stealing 2.4 billion euros from the Royal Mint of Spain, according to IMDb.
The series’ previous seasons have received several awards including the Best Drama Series at the 46th International Emmy Awards. In the new season, the gang is said to have been in the Bank of Spain for over 100 hours and the Professor is at risk. To make matters worse, a new adversary is coming: the army.
2. Afterlife of the Party – Netflix (September 2)
“A social butterfly (Justice) experiences the biggest party foul of all… dying during her birthday week. To her surprise, she’s given a second chance to right her wrongs on Earth by reconnecting with loved ones, and most importantly, prove that she’s worthy enough to get into the big VIP room in the sky,” summarises Netflix. The supernatural comedy film is directed by Stephen Herek and written by Carrie Freedle.
3. Cinderella– Amazon Prime Video (September 3)
According to the streaming platform, Cinderella is a “modern musical with a bold take on the story you grew up with. Our ambitious heroine (Camilla Cabello) has big dreams and with the help of her Fab G, she perseveres to make them come true.”
4. Paagal – Amazon Prime Video (September 3)
Following its theatrical release in August, Paagal, the Telugu romantic comedy film is headed for an early digital premiere on Amazon Prime Video.
According to the streaming platform, the film set in Visakhapatnam centres around Prem, a flamboyant young man, who out of despair following his mother’s demise sets out to seek the love of his life. In his quest, he falls in love with several women, until cupid truly strikes and brings with it challenges Prem had not anticipated. What lies ahead is a volley of sequences replete with drama, humour and quirk that promise to keep one hooked till the end.
5. Alpha Adimai – SonyLiv (September 3)
According to IMDb, the film Alpha Adimai is about “a man working as an aide to a weed supplier who recognises an opportunity to start his dark journey in the midst of a narcotic raid, a confused boss and two hormonal youngsters in search of weed.”
According to ZEE5, the film Helmet is about Lucky and his friends who rob an e-commerce company truck but find condoms instead of electronic gadgets inside. Produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions and Dino Morea’s DM Movies, it stars Aparshakti Khurana, Pranutan Bahl, Abhishek Banerjee, Ashish Verma and Sharib Hashmi.
The documentary series follows Mardy Fish, who is known as the last great American male tennis player. In 2010, Fish had been in his best shape and was said to be a force to be reckoned with, scaling the heights of the World Tour Finals in 2011 as the top-seeded American player. However, soon after, his anxiety began to swell. Fish tried to push through the mental strain at the 2012 US Open quarterfinals against Roger Federer, but a crushing sense of anguish made the process worse. It all started to unravel as something more sinister began to take over – his biggest battle would be the one with himself.
8. JJ+E– Netflix (September 8)
The film based on the award-winning book by Mats Wahl is about Elisabeth and John-John who “live in the same city, but they inhabit different worlds. Can a passionate first love breakthrough class and cultural barriers?”
Deepak Sundarrajan, director of the upcoming horror-comedy Annabelle Sethupathi, starring Taapsee Pannu and Vijay Sethupathi, says he initially met the film’s producer to discuss a remake of the Telugu film Anando Brahma. But, producer Sudhan Sundaram ended up giving Deepak the idea for Annabelle Sethupathi.
“My producer originally asked me to do a remake of Anando Brahmo. But there was some issue with the rights and so, he asked me to do something with a house full of ghosts. I went home and quickly sent him a line and he absolutely loved my concept for AnnabelleSethupathi,” Deepak, son of veteran actor-director Sundarrajan, tells Silverscreen India.
A fan of Pannu since watching her films Game Overand Badla, among others, Deepak says he wrote the script with the actor in mind. “I started writing the story thinking of Taapsee as the main character. The only constant name in the cast from beginning to end was her. I showed her the script and she agreed soon after,” he says.
The title, which reminds one of the Hollywood horror film Annabelle, was chosen randomly, quips the debutant filmmaker. “When we decided to make a horror-comedy genre, we thought what could be better than bringing the word Annabelle into our title since it is from a very well-known Hollywood franchise. The Sethupathi part was just because Vijay Sethupathi was roped in for the film and it fits perfectly!”
The film is set to release in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam on September 17 on Disney+ Hotstar.
The director mentions that he did not conceive AnnabelleSethupathi as a pan-Indian film. “I did not have a pan-Indian audience or any other idea in my mind at the start. Initially, we made a chart of the characters in the film, of who comes from which century, who is alive, and who is a ghost. After Taapsee, eventually, Vijay Sethupathi and Jagapathi Babu came in, then came Radhikaa, Rajendra Prasad and slowly, it became a pan-Indian film.”
On the decision to release this film exclusively on a streaming platform, Deepak says, “This is a movie which can be enjoyed in the home as well as theatres. Nowadays, OTT has made it easy for entire families to sit together and watch TV shows or films. I wanted that for my film. I wanted families to sit at home and enjoy this story. Also, when our OTT deal was made, the pandemic lockdown was in full force. Theatres have started opening up now, but our decision was already made.”
As part of the deal, the team will produce various projects under its series banner Excel Media and Entertainment. The partnership will commence with two new shows, tentatively titled Dabba Cartel and Queen of the Hill.
According to a press release, Dabba Cartel follows the story of five housewives who run a high-stakes secret cartel. Queen of the Hill, on the other hand, is set in the backdrop of 1960s Mumbai and chronicles the relationship between two ambitious women that will change the city forever. The show is said to be all about style, ambition, love, friendship, and betrayal.
More details regarding the cast and crew are awaited.
Sidhwani and Akhtar said in a statement, “Our partnership with Netflix marks a new global chapter for Excel Entertainment after 20 eventful years in storytelling. We’re excited with the opportunity to create a variety of extraordinary stories to entertain people in India and around the world.”
Monika Shergill, VP, content, Netflix India, added, “We are excited to join hands with Excel Entertainment, one of India’s path-breaking creative studios. They have continuously pushed the boundaries of entertainment and given us stories that have stood the test of time.”
Excel Entertainment has earlier backed films like Dil Chahta Hai, Rock On and its sequel, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, the Don franchise, Lakshya, and the recently released Toofaan.
Recently, on their 20th anniversary, the production house announced a road trip film titled Jee Le Zaraa, directed by Akhtar. The film, starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alia Bhatt, and Katrina Kaif, is slated to release in 2023. It will be the first collaboration of these three actors. It will be co-produced by filmmaker Zoya Akhtar’s Tiger Baby Productions.
The production house also has a web series in the works titled Eternally Confused And Eager For Love, which is in the teen romance space.
A contestant on the Amitabh Bachchan-hosted game show Kaun Banega Crorepati 13 has been slapped with a chargesheet by the Railway Administration for taking part in the show, Times Now reported.
The report states that a chargesheet has been filed against Desh Bandhu Panday, a railway employee from Kota, Rajasthan, because his leave application to take part in the show was not approved by the railway administration.
However, despite his leave application not being considered, Panday had stayed in Mumbai from August 9-13 to take part in the game show, which returned recently to the small screen for its 13th season.
The report also states that railway employees’ organisations have protested against the administration’s move. Khalid, the divisional secretary of West Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh, reportedly said that the railway administration has not done well by Pandey.
Panday took home Rs 3,40,000 on the game show after he incorrectly answered the 11th question worth Rs 6,40,000.
More details related to the case are awaited.
Meanwhile, Kaun Banega Crorepati is set to get its first crorepati in Himani Bundela. While her episode is yet to air, a promo video shows that Bundela won at least Rs 1 crore, and also attempted the question worth Rs 7 crore.
The 13th season of the game show, which started airing last week, is being hosted once again in front of a live audience. Last season, the live audience was removed in order to comply with the Covid-19 regulations.
On the film front, Bachchan recently saw the theatrical release of Chehre. The film, also starring Emraan Hashmi, became the second major Hindi film to premiere in theatres following the second wave of the pandemic.
Directed by Rumy Jafry, the mystery-thriller was earlier scheduled to have a theatrical release on April 9 but was postponed due to the ongoing pandemic. The film also features Annu Kapoor,Krystle D’Souza, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Raghubir Yadav, Rhea Chakraborty, and Siddhanth Kapoor.
The Baker And The Beauty, the official Telugu remake of the Israeli series of the same name, is set to premiere on Aha on September 10, the streamer announced on social media on Thursday.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, the director of the show, Jonathan Edwards, who has previously helmed the Telugu indie film Prayanikudu (2014) and the mainstream film Amaram Akhilam Premafor Aha in 2020, says they initially considered changing the bakery in the original to a home-made sweet stall in the remake. “However, the original Israeli writers, who were part of the creative process, wanted to keep it the same. They wanted to retain the same look and feel of a bakery, with breads and all. So we agreed,” he reveals.
The series, which is created in collaboration with Annapurna Studios, is a romantic drama that follows two opposites, revolving around an unlikely romance between a middle-class youngster Vijay, who manages his parents’ small-time bakery, and the film star Aira Vasireddy, who is a loner at heart.
It marks Jonathan’s second collaboration with Aha. “Around 2019, Annapurna Studios was looking for a director for this remake. A production manager referred me to them when Amaram Akhilam Prema was in post-production. I later watched the series, and loved the way it was written with the family emotions and romance. So I agreed to do it.”
While the bakery was left unchanged in accordance with the wishes of the Israeli writes, the director says the show has been adapted to local tastes in other ways. Locations, actors, characterisations, and dialogues based on the Hyderabad Telugu slang are some of the ways the show has been tailored for the Telugu audience.
Jonathan feels the similarities between Israeli and Indian families helped in translating the original series to the Indian setting. “Families in both countries are religious, for instance,” he adds.
The web series was shot in 2019 over 47 days, mainly in Hyderabad, with a small schedule in Dubai as well.
The series features Santosh Shobhan as Vijay the baker, alongside Tina Shilparaj as the actor Aira. Veteran actor Venkat plays Aira’s manager, and the cast includes Vishnu Priya, Sai Swetha, Sangeeth Shobhan, Srikanth Iyengar, and Jhansi Laxmi.
“Tina was working in our writing department. When we were struggling to find the right actor for that role, one of my assistant directors suggested her name. We later auditioned and cast her. In the original version, her character is a model, but we changed it to an actress,” says the director.
The original Israeli version of The Baker And The Beauty consists of two seasons of 10 episodes each. The first season of the Telugu remake will also have 10 episodes with a runtime of 30-40 minutes each. The second season is in the early planning stages, and work on it will depend on the reception of the first season, the director adds.
Jonathan feels the OTT boom has provided an easy entry into the industry for young filmmakers and actors. “The content is watched from all over the world and it is a privilege to get such wide viewership. While filmmakers were limited by actors and genres in the past, I can now make any kind of story on any budget. Storytelling skills too have become stronger post the OTT boom.”
Jonathan is currently working on a feature film as his next project. He will be writing and directing this crime thriller.
Announcements regarding releases of new films at theatres and OTT platforms have been spurring competition between the two mediums.
While Vijay Sethupathi‘s Laabam is set to hit the big screens on September 9, Nani‘s Tuck Jagadish put rumors to rest and confirmed a digital release on Amazon Prime Video, on September 10, the same day as Love Story‘s theatrical release.
The theater owners association had said during a meeting that they would want the makers to refrain from releasing Tuck Jagadish on the same day as Love Story, to avoid a clash but this was not accommodated.
A close match followed between theaters and the OTT platforms, even as several announcements yet to come.
Silverscreen India brings to you the performance ratings of the films that have hit the screen, including both small and big budget ones.
Boomika(Netflix)
Photo Caption: Poster of Boomika
This Aishwarya Rajesh-starrer revolves around paranormal activities seeking to teach a lesson regarding environmental conservation. While the film received appreciation from the critics for the idea, it fell flat in terms of execution.
According to Sinndhuja who wrote for Silverscreen India, while the premise is interesting, the film “could have flourished with better ideation and production values.”
Directed by Rathindran R Prasad, Boomika“is a grandmotherly tale meant to scare you into behaving well,” Sinndhuja wrote.
Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companionagreed, and called the film “terrific” on a conceptual level. “But the writing in the back-story wasn’t strong, and a lot of the staging made you feel the film had been put together in a hurry,” Rangan wrote, calling for the need for a “subtler writing.”
Both reviewers mentioned that Prasad, who directed Siddarth and Parvathy Thiruvothu in the segment Inmai in the anthology film Navarasa, employed the same tool for Boomika as well.
Boomika currently stands with a rating of 5.5 on IMDb, with majority of the user reviews inclined in disfavor of the film.
Chehre
Photo Caption: A still from Chehre; Credit: Movie poster
The Rumy Jaffrey directorial is the only Hindi film that released in theaters after Bell Bottom. It featured actors Amitabh Bachchan, Emraan Hashmi, Krystle D’Souza, and Rhea Chakraborty, among others.
Both critics as well as audience had similar responses to the film’s loose portrayal of concepts like law and justice, that emerge as major themes.
Writing for Silverscreen India, Mrinal Rajaram called the film “problematic and poorly conceived” that pays an “unsubtle homage” to Bachchan and his character Lateef Zaidi. While the film followed a conversationalist format, most of them, which were smeared with Bachchan’s monologues, stood irrelevant and outstretched.
However, “the most flawed argument put forth in Chehre is – that every accused found guilty, immaterial of the crime, must be meted out the same kind of vigilante justice.”
Archita Kashyap of Firstpostagreed that the conversations fall apart as they contribute to the slower pace of the film.
The film had a slow start on the box office collections, owing to the pandemic-induced curfews on cinemas. According to Box Office India, Chehre would have floated in a pre-pandemic era, as it would have released in Maharashtra and other big cities.
“Now the film is relying on Delhi NCR, East Punjab and Gujarat which are the areas seeing best collections but in these areas these sort of films have very limited takers.”
The film currently stands with an IMDbrating of 5.8.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, debutante director Jishnu Sreekandan said, “Pidikittapulli loosely translates to–the most wanted person who is absconding. The story is a case of mistaken identity involving two people and follows a group of people who kidnap the wrong person.”
While the film got its casting spot-on, according to Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India said, “the narrative is incoherent, constructed of convoluted moments. So much so that the viewer is likely to lose sight of the central narrative conflict.”
According to her, the film leaft the comedians with hardly any space to perform as the film “is unaware of the importance of being smarter than its characters, of the line that separates whimsical from intellectual sterility.”
The film opted for a direct-to-digital release on Jio Cinema owing to several delays in the wake of the pandemic.
Shooting and post-production were completed in 2019 and a 2020 release was planned. “However, since there was a slew of the backlog of films lined up for theatrical release, our film’s release was yet again delayed and then the second wave of Covid-19 hit the country. So it was a tough call for us,” Sreekandan said.
The film currently has an IMDb rating of 4.3, with majority of the user reviews pointing out a failed resemblance to Priyadarshan’s forte of confused comedy films.
The Chimbudevan directorial had all the six shorts beginning with or highlighting each Tamil consonant.
For Sinndhuja of Silverscreen India, the different parts seemed more entertaining than the whole film. “The shorts are entertaining nevertheless. But the final act – usually the anchor in a relay – sorely lacks inspiration,” she wrote.
Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion, called the director’s move “clever,” and wrote, “It’s a reminder that wanting to do good does not always mean you are going to end up doing good, and you may actually end up hurting someone. In a Tamil cinema scenario filled with inspirational messages, I found this (mild) cynicism quite refreshing.”
The film had six editors and cinematographers.
Kasada Tabara has a current rating of 7.9 on IMDb, the highest among the releases last week.
Apart from the aforementioned films, shows like LOL: Enga Siri Paapom, an unscripted Tamil comedy show, started streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
The Indian historical television series The Empire, based on Empire of the Moghul, written by Alex Rutherford, was finally made available on Disney+Hotstar. The show depicted the rise and fall of the Mughal Empire. Filmed in Uzbekistan, the first season traced Babur’s journey and the beginning of the Mughal Empire in India.
In addition to this, the American teen rom-comHe’s All That, that reimagines the original plot of the 1999 teen classic She’s All That, also began streaming on netflix.
Ashvamithra, the upcoming Tamil feature film written and directed by filmmaker Earthling Koushalya, is set to premiere on Neestream on August 30.
The film revolves around six-year-old Mithra, an active child who has stopped talking after her father’s demise. Arun, a child speech therapist with a stammering problem of his own stemming from a traumatic childhood, offers to meet Mithra to help her talk again. The film is about Arun’s attempts to break Mithra’s silence, revealing how grown-ups can overlook certain types of attachments in children and their memories of adults in their growing years.
In conversation with Silverscreen India, Earthling, who has also edited the 80-minute film, says, “It is about how adults enter the world of children thinking they will heal the child, but really, healing is a two-way process. There is always a takeaway.”
Earthling says the story stems from her own experiences of volunteering in hospices and cancer hospitals in the US. “My experience interacting with kids, and observing how they understand abstract things much more than us, resulted in this film. However, the story itself only took three hours to write,” she adds.
The film features Harish Uthaman as Arun, while debutante Tareetha ET plays Mithra.
“I have been working on short films with Harish. While he is known for villain roles, I thought why not give him something completely new for a change. As for Tareetha, her mischievous eyes caught my attention when I saw her photo. I contacted her parents and made sure to spend at least two hours every day with her, before we went for the shoot,” says Earthling, adding that it took about two weeks to gain her trust.
The filmmaker says the title is the catch of the story, with Ashva (horse) and Mithra (friend), condensing to form the essence of the film.
Ashvamithra also stars Living Smile Vidya as the director of the NGO Arun works for, while Maheswari Arunagiri plays Mithra’s mother.
Ashvamithra film still
The ocean plays a pivotal role in the film too. “The ocean has been a big part of my life and I find comfort in it. So I wanted Arun’s character to have an intangible, powerful connection to the ocean, which is woven into the story,” says Earthling, adding that the film was shot in Puducherry and Cuddalore.
The music, composed by Srivijay Ragavan, is another important aspect of the film, according to the director. “I wanted specific themes for Mithra and Arun, and when they meet, I wanted a different theme. Hope is important in all my works and the composer has used the Charukesi raga, which expresses both grief and happiness. It takes you to that intermediate, haunting sweet spot.”
Earthling, who feels the growing OTT space is a boon for filmmakers like her, is happy that with Neestream, Ashvamithra now has a “nice home of its own.” She adds that they approached many platforms before the deal with Neestream happened.
The filmmaker is currently working on other Tamil and Malayalam feature film scripts.
Zee Entertainment, in a statement made before the Bombay High Court on Friday, said that it will defer the broadcast of the Hindi television serial Baal Shiv- Mahadev Ki Andekhi Gatha till September 15 in connection with the copyright infringement case filed against makers of the show by an Indian mythologist Chotenlal Saini, Bar and Benchreported.
On Thursday, the Bombay High Court had ordered Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited to either make a statement immediately that the series will not be released till the matter is heard or face a court order restraining the release of the series, based on a copyright infringement case filed by Saini. Saini had moved the High Court alleging copyright violation, seeking an order of injunction against Zee and restraining them from releasing the series.
Baal Shiv- Mahadev Ki Andekhi Gatha, which was previously set to premiere on &TV, a Hindi language entertainment channel owned by Zee Entertainment on August 31, narrates the “untold and unseen story of Lord Shiva’s childhood”. The makers took down the teaser video from YouTube on Friday afternoon.
Terming it as a case of piracy, Saini stated in his petition that he was the first person to conceptualise the idea of Baal Shiv and had plans of eventually making it into a television serial which he had discussed with the representatives of Zee under express confidentiality. According to Saini, despite several narrations, Zee did not show any interest in producing the serial after which he tried approaching other channels to pitch the idea and had also registered the title under the Trademarks Act. But, Saini said, he later found Zee’s official announcement that it is going to air the serial.
“The concepts/idea of ‘Baal Shiv’ itself was a unique selling prospect because the same is not contemplated at all in Indian mythology,” Saini stated in the complaint.
The court observed that “A radical concept which conceptualises a mythological character in this fashion, is something which the writer has thought of. You not only took it from him, but did all this behind his back. You either take an injunction or make a statement.”
The court had also ordered Zee’s representative to get instructions from the management on the credit or royalty to be given to Saini in the case.
Zee5, the streaming platform, on Friday, unveiled the first look of Break Point, a 7-part docu-series based on the on-court partnership between Tennis legends, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, and their off-court lives. The show is co-directed by Nitesh Tiwari and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari.
According to a press release, the show, based on the Tennis stars, promises to be a “telling narrative on their friendship, brotherhood, partnership, belief, hard work, and ambitions” and will examine “their bitter breakup and how they couldn’t hold on to their meteoric rise”.
Paes and Bhupathi, who were fondly known as “The Indian Express”, played together from 1994 to 2006 and reunited for their second stint from 2008 to 2011. The two were the first Indian pair to win a Grand Slam at the 1999 French Open. Before their public fallout, Bhupathi and Paes were the first pair to reach four successive Grand Slam finals in one year since 1952. Paes and Bhupati have also won the gold medal at the 2002 and 2006 Asian Games and bronze at the 2010 Commonwealth Games together.
Talking about the docu-series, Paes said in a statement, “While Mahesh and my on-court partnership was widely covered, and our off-court chemistry was largely speculated, this is the first time that our fans will get to see and hear it all, first-hand.”
“It is no secret that I am reserved when it comes to communicating, so this is a big step for me to relive the journey and put it all out there in the most candid and honest manner. But, at the same time, I am happy that our fans will get to see our journey which was a mix of sweat, perseverance, brotherhood, and at times blood and tears as well,” Bhupathi said in a statement.
Announced last month, Break Point is the first time Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari have co-directed a project. The release date of the docu-series is yet to be announced.
The hero of Kasada Tabara, an intersectional film of six shorts, is easily Premgi Amaren. A Venkat Prabhu production populated with his familiars, including Sampath Raj, and unsurprisingly, the filmmaker himself, Premgi is eminently likeable as the fuss-free actor that he usually is. He belongs in the film so effortlessly that it’s hard to perceive him as a strategic placement borne out of careful thought. His dialogues seem nothing out of the ordinary, mirroring the lines of the most popular actors – and heroes – of Tamil cinema. You sense no larger message or biting opinions on everyday politics. But they exist the way Premgi does in his films – matter-of-factly – and are likewise hilariously acidic.
In the first short, Kavasam (Shield), Premgi is a low-wage upper-caste labourer who is an embodiment of all Tamil essential virtues: loving and giving over and above his means – a true Friday’s Child like most Tamil heroes. He’s also avowedly socialist, and decidedly aromantic, resisting a woman only to later succumb to her advances – against his will, it must be said. In a funny instance, Bala, on date #1, enlightens his woman friend on the evils of capitalism and has her embrace his way of life. On date #2, he tells her that he was about to refuse her offer of marriage, but then, much to his woe, she has worn a sari to their meeting (on Broken Bridge).
Director Chimbu Deven (Oru Kanniyum Moondru Kalavanigalum, 2014) also posits Yugi Sethu as a divine entity in Bala’s life: one that he neither worships nor resists, but talks to at will and is seemingly directed by. In subtle commentary, Sethu as Krishna points out the privileges that Bala has even in romance. Bala remarks on the incompatibility: vendam, pizzale sambar oothina maathiri.
Kasada Thabara – featuring shorts that begin with or highlight each Tamil consonant – is an anthology relay, with the protagonist in each short playing into the next. It is fairly entertaining for a certain time. Much like Super Deluxe (2019), Kasada Tabara presents a few seemingly disparate tracks, each of them owned by a sole protagonist – Premgi as Bala, the low-wage labourer prone to fits of charitable goodness; Sampath Raj as the city don with an overpowering love for his son (Shanthanu Bhagyaraj); Sundeep Kishan as a cop who resists the evils of his job, only to find enough reasons to engage with them later; Harish Kalyan as Kish, a man who manipulates his way into wealth; Vijayalakshmi as Sundari, a young mother caught in a drug conspiracy; and Venkat Prabhu as Samyukthan, a driver whose unquestioning loyalty to his employer is punished.
Two of the films – Sadhiyadal (Conspiracy) and Thappattam (Foul Play) – are fuelled by the metamorphosis of their characters while Kavasam and Pandhayam (Competition) play with deceit. Arampatra (Righteousness) and Akkarai (Care), headlined by Vijayalakshmi and Venkat Prabhu, respectively, attempt to bind the tales together.
In Thappattam, a favourite of this reviewer, Sundeep Kishan as Kanda, a young man underprivileged in class and caste, lands a much-cherished job as a cop. It is an ideal that he and his wife had aspired to. He soon becomes disillusioned with what his role demands of him, being subjected to insidious harassment by a superior who sees him not as a fellow member of the police force, but as someone who’d dared to dream beyond his means (and caste-assigned occupation). Kanda is mutinous at first; he holds fast to his ideals and doesn’t do what is asked of him. Then, something snaps.
In Arampatra, the expressive Vijayalakshmi is a beleaguered single mother who works at a government-run school during the day as a cook and aide when a chance meeting with a stranger disrupts her life. The stranger is Harish Kalyan’s Kish from Pandhayam, now heir to a fortune that is not his. Akkarai, the last short in the series, stars Venkat Prabhu in the lead as an employee whose loyalty is rewarded with a death sentence. It attempts to wrap up the film, to tell us the collective past, present and future of its characters. Only, much as the initial segments, it vacillates between hilarity and downright absurdity in its portrayal of characters and plot alike. The shorts are entertaining nevertheless. But the final act – usually the anchor in a relay – sorely lacks inspiration. Consider this (spoiler alert): a misplaced file is the prized link that travels through the shorts to exonerate a death-row convict. It’s not exactly a ridiculous plot element considering the production values, but it is an ill-conceived, overlong end to what could have been an engaging film.
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This Kasada Tabara 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.
While the film is slated to premiere in September, the exact release date has not been announced yet.
Arisil, who assisted Sudha Kongara during the pre-production of Suriya-starrer Soorarai Pottru(2020), is making his directorial debut with this film. The native of Theni has also written the script. “I wanted to make a political satire, but also something that depicted my village nativity,” he says.
And so, he chose to make a satire set in a village. Raame Aandalum Raavane Aandalum is about a village that is breaking news on all television channels across India. However, the villagers don’t have electricity to watch TV. The primary character is Kunnimuthu, a 35-year-old innocent farmer who loses his beloved bulls, Karuppan and Vellaiyan. When searching for his bulls with a friend, he meets a reporter who helps him.
“The protagonist is inspired by a neighbour in my village from my childhood. He used to interact a lot with animals and converse with them as though they were humans. That character stayed on in my mind and I entwined it with the current political scenario for the film,” says Arisil.
Though the film prominently features bulls, the filmmaker clarifies that it does not touch upon the sport of jallikattu, but is instead about the bonding between a family and their bulls.
Arisil wrote the script of Raame Aandalum Raavane Aandalum as a “small film” in 2019 before submitting it to 2D Entertainment. “I had submitted the first draft to Rajsekar Pandian of 2D Entertainment, but they had several commitments at the time and could not get to it. However, later, they read it and agreed to back the film. We were set to go on floors in 2020, but the lockdown forced a delay.”
The film was eventually shot in March-April 2021, in Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, with cinematographer Sukumar helming the camera.
The cast of the film includes Ramya Pandian, Vani Bhojan, Mithun Manickam, and Vadivel Murugan, and the director says casting was the toughest part in the making the film. “We wanted to introduce fresh faces, but it was tough to get the right cast through auditions. Finally, Ramya Pandian responded to our casting call and she was selected. She plays Veerayi, the wife of the protagonist, while Mithun Manickam, who has worked as promotional head of 2D, essays the husband’s role. Vani Bhojan plays the journalist and Vadivel Murugan plays a supporting character,” he adds.
Still from the sets of the film (credits: Arisil Moorthy)
Arisil was also particular about the pair of bulls featured in the film. “We bought them in 2019 itself. We looked at more than a 100 pairs before finding the right ones. We wanted bulls of the right age and physique. They had to have a similar appearance and a specific lakshanam (set of features) but it wasn’t easy to find them because countryside bulls have become a rare breed now. We had to search through most of the local breeders in Tamil Nadu. Finally, we found the right pair in Pollachi.”
The music of Raame Aandalum Raavane Aandalum is composed by singer Krish. “The film originally did not contain any songs, but we later decided to include a few and zeroed in on Krish as the composer. He has given us good tunes,” says the director, adding that there are a total of five songs.
The film is currently in the final stages of post-production, and Suriya, who has seen it, is satisfied with the output, Arisil adds. “Suriya sir appreciated the simple narration and the realistic feel of the film. He said the presence of the camera is not felt at all, which adds to the realism.”
Debut director Jishnu Sreekandan’s Pidikittapulli (Fugitive), a comic caper, opens to a night of coincidences. A wealthy businessman, known for his notorious ways (Major Ravi), gets visited by a friend-turned-foe (Kannan Pattambi). A goon and his clumsy assistant (Saiju Kurup) mess up a burglary attempt. A lowly architect (Sunny Wayne) who is in love with his boss’s daughter (Ahaana Krishna) gets involved in an unintended abduction initiated by his colleague (Baiju Santhosh). A gym instructor (Lalu Alex), high on weed, imagines himself as a character from a Hindu epic and launches a series of blunders.
Comedy is a genre that new Malayalam cinema has been struggling with. A departure from the pre-2000 era comedies, the recent films are straight-faced, without overly relying on the actors’ body language or facial expressions but stem from absurd situations seamlessly woven into the main story. Barring a few films like Neram (Alphonse Puthren, 2013), Kunjiramayanam (Basil Joseph, 2015) and Padayottam (Rafeek Ibrahim, 2018), the new Malayalam comedies have not been able to find remarkable success.
Pidikittapulli is an uneven blend of the old and the new – the confusion comedy that Priyadarshan was a master of, and the pop-coloured absurd urban humour of Padayottam and Soodhu Kavvum (Tamil, 2013). The narrative relies a lot on dialogues that sound unscripted. The characters are not exceptionally smart and are prone to making bad decisions. The crimes in the plot, which get a comical treatment, eventually pay off. The bad guy, who deceived his friends and lover, wins.
The film gets its casting spot on. Baiju, for one, is a familiar and ever-effective comedian who can whip up a riot every time he is on the screen. But there is only so much the comedians can do in a movie that is unaware of the importance of being smarter than its characters, of the line that separates whimsical from intellectual sterility.
The narrative is incoherent, constructed of convoluted moments. So much so that the viewer is likely to lose sight of the central narrative conflict. Even the most madcap comedy cannot function without an internal logic that binds the characters and situations. It is not believable that two architects decide to roll up their unconscious boss in a carpet and stuff him into the boot of a car while they could have tried to revive him. When someone suggests that the inert man be taken to a hospital, the accidental abductors protest. Because none of them is dressed appropriately (!) to greet the boss. It is impossible to care for any of the characters who act like overgrown children acting on impulse.
And it is hardly funny. The scenes are staged ungracefully, without a point of focus. The unsubtle and ceaseless background score, at times, sounds uncannily similar to the famous BGM piece of Soodhu Kavvum. Except for a few times when a line of dialogue or an interaction elicits a chuckle, Pidikittapulli is a snoozefest that cannot tie its numerous loose-ends together.
If Jude Anthony Joseph, in a cameo appearance in a song-and-dance sequence, does the worst impression of a Romeo, Sunny Wayne pulls off the most unconvincing on-screen sneeze. Saiju Kurup and Lalu Alex, despite the poorly-written roles, bring some laughs to the table thanks to their natural charm.
In the last two pandemic-hit years, the production and distribution of movies in India have leapt longer than they have in 10 years. Pidikittapulli, the first Malayalam movie to get a direct-to-digital premiere on Jio Cinema, is available to watch for free for subscribers of the Jio mobile connection. A movie given away as a freebie for the customers of a SIM card is a significant indicator of mainstream cinema’s fall from grace. The move announces that cinema is no longer a form of art that requires an investment from the artist and the viewers – it is just a disposable consumer good.
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This Pidikittapulli 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.
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.”
