Filmmaker Raja Ramamurthy takes a potentially interesting and, for Tamil cinema, rather novel premise and churns out a most uninspiring movie. Achcham Madam Naanam Payirrpu, streaming on Amazon Prime Video, revolves around 19-year-old Pavithra (Akshara Haasan), who decides to have sex with her boyfriend Harish, whom her conservative brahmin family doesn’t know about. She has two friends with opposing views on this – one who believes that premarital sex is immoral and the other who is sex positive. The latter helps her with details such as obtaining condoms and generally preparing her for the big night (picking out a dress, waxing, and so forth), while the former keeps repeating that it is a “kevalamana” (disgusting) idea.
While it is refreshing to see a topic like this handled lightly, that’s about all that can be said in favour of the film. A subject like this could have yielded a lot of comedy and drama, but the writer-director treads too lightly to make for engaging viewing. The movie just plods on without eliciting any sort of response from us, other than the occasional yawn. It is the cinematic equivalent of watching paint dry. Adding to the effect is the curious choice to use a very sparing background score. Large portions of the film are completely bereft of music. Now, silence can be a powerful tool when used right, but here it only serves to highlight how boring the proceedings are and how unequal Akshara Haasan is to carrying this film.
Haasan tries her best, seemingly, but it’s just no use. Pavithra isn’t a particularly interesting person – her leading characteristic is that she’s confused and this Haasan conveys with a perpetual deer-in-headlights look. Aside from her conundrum about having sex, Pavithra also lives in the shadow of her famous singer grandmother (Usha Uthup) and her overbearing, never-satisfied mother (Malgudi Subha). That this would make her indecisive and unsure of herself is perfectly understandable. The problem is that Haasan’s performance doesn’t convey this adequately and in a way that makes her sympathetic. Instead, we get one scene between Pavithra and her grandmother that essentially spells all this out and the film’s message (‘be true to yourself’) into the bargain. This should have been a heartwarming scene, but Haasan tries too hard, and fails. I was mentally seconding her grandmother’s “please stop crying,” though with very different feelings.
The comedy too largely falls flat. I can only remember one amusing instance from the whole film – where Pavithra’s friendly neighbourhood annachi (shopkeeper) mistakes her embarrassedly pointing at a box of condoms as a request for a pack of sanitary napkins instead. And this is in no small part due to seasoned actor George Maryan playing the store owner. He and fellow theatre-film actor Kalairani (as the silent, seemingly-judgmental neighbour aunty) make more of an impression with their minor appearances than all the rest of the cast.
All told, this is perhaps a story that would have worked better as a short film. At under 80 minutes, Achcham Madam Naanam Payirrpu isn’t a particularly long movie but feels like it is. A shorter format would have forced the makers to tighten things up (maybe not give us a whole half a minute of Haasan badly pretending to wake up from sleep!) and perhaps yielded better results. In an interview with Silverscreen India before the film’s release, the actor said that whenever they felt something didn’t work when shooting, they would try it a different way. Maybe they should have kept trying.
*****
This Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu 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.
With the 94th edition of the Academy Awards set to take place on Sunday, Silverscreen India brings to you this handy guide of where you can watch the 10 Best Picture nominees of Oscars 2022.
Photo Caption: The Power of the Dog poster; Credit: IMDb
The Jane Campion-directorial features actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Jesse Plemmons. The film is a commentry on toxic masculinity and revolves around a rancher (Cumberbatch) and his treatment towards his brother’s new wife and son. While all four actors have managed to earn nominations for their performances, Campion is a nominee of the Best Director category.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune is a science fiction film based on Frank Herbert’s book of the same name. It tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his people. The ensemble cast of actors also includes, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgard, and Dave Bautista. Aside from Best Picture, Dune is also a strong contender in almost all technical categories. It is currently available on Amazon Prime Video India.
Steven Spielberg‘s West Side Story is nominated in seven categories at the upcoming Oscars, including Best Picture. Featuring Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, and David Alvarez, Mike Faist, and Rita Moreno, the film is the second adaptation of the 1957 musical of the same name. The story is a modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet.
Sian Heder’s CODA, or Children of Deaf Adults, revolves around Emilia Jones’ character Ruby Rossi, who is the only hearing member of a deaf family. Troy Kotsur became the first actor from the deaf community to win a SAG award in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Film category, for his portrayal of Frank Rossi in the film. He is also the first deaf male actor to earn an Oscar nomination. Kotsur and Jones feature alongside actors Marlee Maitlin and Daniel Durant.
Photo Credit: Film poster of ‘Don’t Look Up’ [resized]
The apocalyptic black comedy tells the story of two astronomers who try to warn the world about an approaching comet that is assumed to destroy human civilization. Directed by Adam McKay, the film features an ensemble cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Rob Morgan, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Timothee Chalamet and Ariana Grande.
Drive My Car [To stream on MUBI from April 1]
Photo Credit: Film poster of ‘Drive My Car’ [resized]
It is based on Haruki Murakami’s short story of the same name from his 2014 collection Men Without Women. Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the film revolves around the life of a stage actor and director who receives an offer to direct a production, two years after his wife’s death. It features actors Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Masaki Okada, and Reika Kirishima. Drive My Car is nominated for both Best Picture as well as the Best International Feature Film.
King Richard [Released in Indian cinemas on March 25]
Photo Credit: Film poster of ‘King Richard’ [resized]
The Reinaldo Marcus Green-directorial tells the story Richard Williams, father of tennis players and sisters Serena and Venus Williams. Will Smith appears in the titular role alongside Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, and Demi Singleton. Both Smith and Ellis are nominees under the performance categories for their respective roles. The biographical drama is currently running in Indian cinemas.
Nightmare Alley [HBO Max and Hulu] – Currently Unavailable in India
Photo Credit: Film poster of ‘Nightmare Alley’ [resized]
Guillermo del Toro‘s thriller drama is based on William Lindsay Gresham’s 1946 novel of the same name. It features actors Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, and Rooney Mara in prominent roles. The story revolves around a carnival worker (Cooper), who has a mysterious past and takes big risks to boost his career.
Photo Credit: Film poster of ‘Licorice Pizza’ [resized]
Paul Thomas Anderson’s slice-of-life film, Licorice Pizza is the story of a budding actor and a photographer’s assistant falling in love, in San Fernando Valley of 1973. It features actors Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, and Bradley Cooper, in prominent roles. While the film is unavailable on any of the OTT platforms, it had released in India, on February 25.
Belfast [Currently Unavailable in India]
Photo Credit: Film poster of ‘Belfast’ [resized]
The Kenneth Branagh-directorial features actors Jamie Dornan, Caitriona Balfe, Judi Dench, Ciaran Hinds, and Jude Hill in prominent roles. Belfast is a coming-of-age film and revolves around a working-class family and the childhood of Buddy (Hill) set in the 1960s, in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The dramedy borrows its title from the Tamil adage, which defines the ideal qualities of a girl as: achcham (fear), madam (innocence), naanam (coyness), and payirppu (chastity). The film revolves around Pavithra, who comes from a conservative background. She is in that awkward stage between being a curious teenager and a smart woman and struggles to strike a balance between societal expectations and personal desires.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, 30-year-old Haasan says, “Pavithra is very different from me, not just her age, but her personality as well. It was quite interesting playing her because I had to shed myself as a person to become that character. What really helped the process was that the entire character’s personality was on the paper. It was very easy for me to lift from there. There were a lot of rehearsals and discussions that happened on sets, which really helped to develop the character further.”
She notes that the sets were overwhelmingly composed of women. Besides Haasan, the film also features Usha Uthup, Malgudi Subha, Anjana Jayaprakash, Shalini Vijayakumar, Janaki Sabesh, Kalairani, among others.
Not just on screen, the film’s technical crew too consisted mostly of women. Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu is shot by cinematographer Shreya Dev Dube and has music composed by Susha. Other women in the team included editor Keerthana Murali, production designer Shanoo Muralidharan, costume designer Themis Vanessa, creative producer Vidhya Sukumaran, colourist Mahak Gupta, and makeup artist Abhirami Sivakuma.
Haasan says that it was “empowering to be on a women-driven set” because it “does not happen often.” She adds that she would like to think that it is result of people being “seen for their talent and not gender.”
However, the film is written and directed by a man, Raja Ramamurthy. Haasan tells us the director took pains to understand the female perspective. “He did it very beautifully. He always made it a point to understand each woman’s (character) perspective. When he had questions, he would come and ask us, the women on sets, which was 90% of the cast and crew. He took the effort to understand the psyche of women and dealt with sensitivity.”
This is the first time Haasan has tried comedy and she says she found it “very interesting.” She adds, “The comedy in this film is very innocent, sweet, and simple. When we have a lot of stress in real life, we find ways to lighten the situation, to make ourselves laugh. We used that concept to oscillate between comedy and drama here. Sometimes, if it did not work, we’d do it again in a different way.”
Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu explores the still largely taboo topic of sexuality and Haasan says they have approached it with a sense of “innocence and purity,” and hope people watch it with an open mind so conversations can be initiated.
When asked if she drew on any real-life inspirations from our patriarchal world to play a young woman struggling to balance societal expectations and personal desires, the actor says, “There were instances when I felt that I have been through that, but dealt with it differently as compared to another girl of my age. However, while I do derive some inspiration from my own experiences, I always try to stay true to the character, to get into that person’s mindset.”
Credits: PR Handout
This film also marks Haasan’s return to the screen after three years, following Fingertip and Kadaram Kondan in 2019. She notes that much has changed in the entertainment industry during this time, and the rise of OTT platforms has opened up a “larger audience” than before.
It has been seven years since her debut with Shamitabh (2015), and Haasan feels that the mindset is changing with respect to female characters, in particular.
Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu is her first female-led script and the actor is glad to note that filmmakers and audiences are more welcoming of such stories. “It definitely brings a different dimension and I am happy to be part of this change.”
As for future plans, Haasan mentions that she would like to try out a psychological thriller or a sci-fi project. “I also have a Tamil and a Hindi feature coming out soon, but I am not at liberty to talk about them at the moment,” she adds.
With filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s highly-anticipated period drama RRR, set to hit theatres on Friday, theatres are looking at a busy weekend, ahead. The film has already made approximately Rs 750 crore from pre-release business, worldwide.
This week, the makers of Beast, starring actor Vijay in the lead, announced that the film is set to hit the big screens on April 13. Even with more films releasing in theatres, streaming platforms are still bringing in more content, everyday.
On that note, Silverscreen India brings you a list of series and films that you can watch from the comfort of your homes, this weekend.
Bheemla Nayak, the official Telugu remake of the hit Malayalam film Ayyappanum Koshiyum, is a film based on the fight between ego and self-esteem. The film follows Bheemla Nayak, played by Pawan Kalyan, a sub-inspector and Danial Shekar essayed by Rana Daggubati, an ex-Hawaldar in the Indian army.
Bridgerton is a romantic period drama series, based on Julia Quinn’s novels of the same. The first season followed Daphne Bridgerton, the eldest daughter of the elite Bridgerton family, as she makes her debut into Regency-era London’s competitive marriage market. The second season will revolve around Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, the eldest Bridgerton sibling. He decides to marry, but ends up meeting his match in his intended bride’s headstrong, older sister.
According to the official synopsis, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny, beyond his understanding. He must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Based on the science fiction video game, the series narrates a 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. HALO will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future.
In Baba Baby O, 40-year-old Megh decides to have children through surrogacy. However, he is in for a surprise, when he meets Brishti. The film tries to highlight that love can happen anywhere and at anytime.
7. Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls Season 1 (March 25) – Amazon Prime Video
In this new series, global superstar Lizzo is on the hunt for the ‘next big thing.’ She is looking for confident women to join her world tour, and only the most talented dancers will have what it takes to dance it out on world stages with her and join in the ranks of the elite BIG GRRRLS.
Vivek Agnihotri‘s The Kashmir Files emerged as a sleeper hit and collected over Rs 100 crores at the box office in two weeks. The film continues its run in theatres and is Bachchan Pandey‘s biggest competitor at the box office.
Suresh Triveni’s Jalsa features actors Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah in lead roles. The film also stars actor Surya Kasibhatla as Balan’s son with special needs. Born with cerebral palsy, Kasibhatla’s casting is one of the rare instances of actors with special needs essaying the characters as well.
Maya Menon, played by Balan, is a well-respected journalist while Ruksana Mohammad, played by Shah, is a cook and caretaker to Maya’s son. “A fateful accident makes it so that Maya cannot look Ruksana or herself in the eye. Jalsa follows the trajectory of her fall.”
For Sankeertana of Silverscreen India, the casting of Balan and Shah as two mothers is genius.
About the film, she writes, “Jalsa isn’t just interested in the economic disparity. It also wants to see how disparate thought is based on where one comes from. The rich can afford to be indifferent, charitable, angry, and vengeful, but those less fortunate have to choose the path of forgiveness and compromise, even if unwillingly. Even if begrudgingly. ”
For Anupama Chopra of Film Companion, while the film explores the familiar territories of class, religion, power, co-screenplay writer Prajwal Chandrashekar and dialogue writers Abbas Dalal and Hussain Dalal create a more intimate drama.
Chopra reflects similar sentiments as Silverscreen India‘s Sankeertana in terms of the portrayal of differences, and writes, “The film isn’t shrill in calling our attention to the difference between Maya and Ruksana’s circumstances. Instead, every interaction underlines how disparate their worlds are.”
Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost, calls the film “unslottable” – “that is not specifically about anything yet is about everything, ranging from class differences to happenstance and the call of the human conscience – in short, it is about life itself.”
She also credited Chandrashekar and Triveni’s screenplay, Hussain and Abbas Dalal’d dialogues, Shiv Kumar Panicker’s editing, Saurabh Goswami’s cinematography, Anthony B Jayaruban’s sound designing, and Gaurav Chatterji’s background score make the film worth every moment.
However, it is “the casting of Surya is just one of multiple reasons why Jalsa is an unusual Hindi film worth celebrating,” Vetticad adds.
The Rosshan Andrews directorial is the tale of a young and zealous cop who goes against his amoral colleagues to save an innocent man from spending a lifetime in prison. It features actors Dulquer Salmaan, Manoj K Jayan, and Diana Penty in prominent roles.
For Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India, even though Salute is a good-hearted film, it comes with a “sly exterior – a slogan on a banner – that tries to cover up the flaws of an utterly lazy screenplay.”
She writes, “In Salute, Andrews and his writers, Sanjay-Bobby, do not map out the background of this conflict but direct their energy to launch a regular cat-and-mouse chase between Aravind and the anonymous killer. As a result, you never learn about Aravind’s inspirations or the emotional details of his relationship with the people around him.”
Vishal Menon of Film Companion, writes that the film’s ambitions are two-fold. “What this does is keep one part of the film interesting because it’s also about a faceless, nameless criminal who needs to be found. Yet on the other side, we get flat, pointless scenes about faceless, nameless family members to pursue an emotional depth to Arvind’s crisis.”
According to Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost, the film does not adhere to the conventions of the Malayalam filmverse. “It is neither loud nor flashy as commercial cop films from this industry often are. It is not preoccupied with the hero’s swag, which is particularly commendable because that hero is played by the producer.”
Despite its missteps such as the stretched screenplay, Salute works for Vetticad because of “Jakes Bejoy’s music and DoP Aslam K Purayil’s frames that smoothly shift from the personal to the panoramic and back when the need arises,” in addition to Salmaan’s performance.
VK Prakash’s Oruthee features Navya Nair in the lead role and revolves around Radhamani and her fight against a corporate company.
Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India, calls the film “the tale of a woman surviving urban misery”.
“Oruthee is a film that doesn’t aspire much. There is no real in-depth analysis of the life of women in a big city or an ending that puts forth a grand worldview,” she writes, and notes that it is Nair’s performance that really charges up the film.
According to Vishal Menon of Film Companion, the film “has an easy pace that takes its time to set up Radhamani’s everyday routine and although it contributes to creating a realistic connect with her situation, it postpones important events until much later, when it begins to feel hurried.”
He also credits Nair’s performance along with Vinayakan’s that keeps the audience invested in the film.
As Anupama Chopra of Film Companion, draws a parallel between the two films throughout, she notes that Bobby Simha‘s performance in the Tamil original had won him a National Award.
“Akshay unfortunately is saddled with a sloppy script that is too afraid to take chances with him,” she writes.
Chopra also notes the age differences between the female characters in the film. While Seema Biswas plays the role Kumar’s mother despite an age gap of four years, Sanon essays his romantic interest with a jarring difference of 16 years.
For Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times, the film somewhat works in blending the “two genres that Akshay seems to have mastered — action and comedy.”
While the film opened with Rs 12 crores, its earnings on the second day dropped to Rs 11 crores, thus taking the collections to stand at a little over Rs 23 crores.
The couple’s production company Archewell Audio had announced a collaboration with Spotify in 2020, after they had stepped down from their royal duties. As part of the partnership, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to produce and host shows on the platform.
Meanwhile, Joe Rogan had released an anti-vaccination episode on his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, on December 31, 2021. The show was heavily criticised and 270 doctors, scientists and healthcare professionals had signed an open letter requesting Spotify to remove the episode to stop the spread of Covid-19 misinformation.
However, the streaming service refused to remove the podcast and this led to several artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell taking their music off the platform in protest. Several other artists and podcasters like Roxane Gay and Ava DuVernay decided to boycott Spotify as well.
While Harry and Markle had also released a statement voicing their concerns over the row, they did not rule out working with the platform. “Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant and disinformation every day. Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too real consequences of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform,” a spokesperson had said, and added, “We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis. We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does.”
A spokesperson for Archewell Audio has now said that following encouraging conversations with the executives of Spotify regarding the platform’s misinformation policies and practices, the production company is going forward with their first-ever podcast series, which is expected to release this summer.
Earlier, the couple had released a single podcast as a holiday special, in December 2020. A number of guests had joined Harry and Markle on that show, including Stacey Abrams, José Andrés, Brené Brown, Deepak Chopra, James Corden, Elton John, Naomi Osaka, and Tyler Perry.
Cuarón is set to write, direct, and executive produce the series as a part of an multi-year deal with the streamer. Disclaimer will be the first original series to have all episodes written and directed by the multiple Academy Award-winning filmmaker.
Based on Renee Knight’s novel of the same name, Disclaimer will star Blanchett as Catherine Ravenscroft, a successful and respected television documentary journalist whose work has been built on revealing the concealed transgressions of long-respected institutions. When an intriguing novel written by a widower (played by Kline) appears on her bedside table, she is horrified to realise she is a key character in a story that she had hoped was long buried in the past.
Jung will reportedly play a character named Kim, who is described as ambitious, hard-working, and eager-to-please.
Squid Game also made history by becoming the first-ever non-English language show to win Screen Actors Guild awards, in February, with Jung and co-actor Lee Jung-jae nabbing the lead acting awards.
While accepting her award, Jung had said, “I have sat many a times watching you on the big screen, dreaming of one day becoming an actor. I just want to say thank you so much. Thank you for making me dream and opening the doors for me.”
Netflix is set to launch tests in Costa Rica, Chile, and Peru to find out if users will be willing to pay extra to share their accounts with non-subscribers, or people beyond their households.
“We’ve always made it easy for people who live together to share their Netflix account, with features like separate profiles and multiple streams in our Standard and Premium plans. While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared,” Chengyi Long, Netflix’s Product Innovation Director, noted that the phenomenon of password-sharing of an account impacted the platform’s ability to invest in television and films.
The step follows, after the streaming platform’s decision to deal with the menace of password-sharing more aggresively, since it is competing with the growing OTT market. While the effort to curb password-sharing began in 2019, it wasn’t until last year that Netflix had aggressively pursued an anti-sharing stance.
In 2021, the platform had started a “purge” on the password-sharing trend, by cracking down on non-subscribers using someone else’s password. Instances of non-subscribers receiving a screen prompt that asked for user authorisation via one-time passwords had started doing the rounds.
Apart from password-sharing, there is also subscription-sharing, wherein, an individual creates an account, known as the “account owner” while others, non-family members, pay or pitch-in to avail the services as a collective. This is majorly practised to access premium services or plans with the maximum number of screens. However, the platforms’ payment system accepts and acknowledges only an individual payment.
Thus, the new test will allow users to add more people with a sum in addition to the existing plans. For instance, the basic, standard, and premium plans for Costa Rica are priced at $8.99, $12.99, and $15.99, respectively. An addition of two more subscribers will entail the subscribers to pay an extra $2.99.
In addition to this, Netflix has also announced a second feature that will aid the primary subscribers by enabling them to transfer user profiles to new accounts called ‘Extra Member’ accounts. This would make it easier for dependent users to pay for their own plans.
With films such as Radhe Shyam, The Kashmir Files, Gangubai Kathiawadi, and more running successfully in theatres across the country, the Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam film industries are flourishing. Streaming platforms however continue to give cinema halls tough competition with a fresh content slate every week.
Although films such as Bachchan Pandey and RRR, are lined up for release in theatres for Holi this week, films such as Salute and Jalsa will premiere directly on streaming platforms. Silverscreen India brings you a list of series and films that you can watch in the comfort of your home this weekend.
The film marks Vidya Balan‘s second collaboration with Prime Video after Sherni. Jalsa, directed by Suresh Triveni of Tumhari Sulu fame, also stars Shefali Shah. Jalsa is a tale of conflict, as shown through the life of a top journalist and her cook. The story revolves around a hit-and-run incident that kills an 18-year-old girl and a journalist who pursues the case. Actor Manav Kaul will also feature in a special appearance.
Termed as a quirky coming-of-age story, this series sees Vihaan Samat, Rahul Bose, Suchitra Pillai, Jim Sarbh and Ankur Rathee playing pivotal roles. Produced by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s Tiger Baby Films and Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment, this series will take the audience on a journey of an introverted and lonely 20-something in search of love.
Bloody Brothers, starring Jaideep Ahlawat and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, is a six-part series that revolves around the lives of two brothers, Jaggi and Daljeet. The thriller revolves around the hurdles they come across after being involved in a hit-and-run case. It also stars Tina Desai, Shruti Seth, Maya Alagh, Mugdha Godse, Satish Kaushik, and Jitendra Josh.
Deep Water (March 18) – Amazon Prime Video
Based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith, this psychological thriller delves into the mysterious life of Vic (played by Ben Affleck) and Melinda (played by Ana de Armas) Van Allen. To save a loveless marriage from divorce, the husband and wife agree to some terms which soon become too messed up.
Directed by Rosshan Andrrews and written by Bobby and Sanjay, the film is a Malayalam-language crime thriller featuring Dulquer Salmaan in the role of a cop. The film, produced by Salmaan’s Wayfarer Films, also features actors Diana Penty, Manoj K Jayan, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, and Ganapathi, among several others.
The new platform is likely to combine the subscriber base of both Discovery Plus and HBO Max, which is estimated to stand at around 100 million users. It will provide both ad-free and ad-lite products, said Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, who will also serve as CFO of the newly-formed company, Warner Bros Discovery.
During the Deutsche Bank’s 30th Annual Media, Internet & Telecom Conference, on Monday, Wiedenfels said, “One of the most important items here is that we believe in a combined product, as opposed to a bundle. We believe that the breadth and depth of this content offering is going to be a phenomenal consumer value proposition.”
While AT&T owns WarnerMedia, which is the parent company of HBO, Cartoon Network, and CNN, Discovery Inc’s offerings include Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and TLC.
“We have HBO Max, with a more premium, male-skewing positioning, and then you’ve got the the female-positioning on the Discovery side. You’ve got the daily engagement that people enjoy with Discovery content versus sort of the event-driven nature of the HBO Max content. Take that together, I have no doubt that we will be creating one of the most complete, sort of four quadrant, old-young-male-female products out there,” the CFO added.
While Wiedenfels did not disclose the proposed pricing of the new platform during the conference, he added that since the combined platform will take some time to premiere, the new company will resort to a bundling approach as a temporary solution. The plan is to bring together the platforms under one subscription model. This would be similar to the way telecom providers in India provide bundle subscriptions of popular streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Disney+ Hotstar.
The merger deal between the two companies, which was first announced in May 2021, is expected to be closed by the end of April 2022.
The series finale of Pam & Tommy, starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan, aired on Thursday and throughout its run, there were a lot of zany and dramatic moments. Some of the show’s crazier moments included a conversation that Tommy has with his animatronic genitals, the infamous sex tape itself, or how actors Lily James and Sebastian Stan look eerily similar to the real Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. The dramatic moments range from the release of the tape to Pam’s miscarriage due to the stress of the controversy. Set in the 90s, there is also a heavy dose of nostalgia that is sprinkled into the show, and of course, there is a lot of drugs and sex. But one cannot ignore the core message of the series.
While the show’s predominant focus is on the sex tape that was stolen from actor-model Pamela Anderson and drummer Tommy Lee’s house and distributed without their consent by a carpenter, there is so much more going on. It addresses their marriage and Tommy’s growing insecurity with Pamela’s success. Themes of trauma and distress also make it into the show as the audience sees the sex tape and the marriage’s influence on Pamela. There are countless ways in which her privacy is invaded on a regular basis.
At its heart, Pam & Tommy is an entertaining and, sometimes, heartbreaking depiction of the consequences of a scandal that neither of them truly anticipated. As it tracks the highs and lows of the couple’s relationship, the drama is endless.
If you liked Pam & Tommy, here are seven shows to watch after:
Developed by Ryan Murphy, the third season of this anthology series focuses on the events that led to the impeachment of former US president Bill Clinton. Over the course of eight episodes, the series explores how Clinton began an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and the political and personal consequences of it.
Like Pam & Tommy, at its core Impeachment is a sex scandal that had long-lasting effects on the people involved. Impeachment not only touches on the shocking aspects of the scandal but also delves into the emotional turmoil of all those involved in the events.
FEUD: Bette and Joan
FEUD chronicles the real-life rivalry between the two actors Bette Midler and Joan Crawford on the sets of the 1962 film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Starring Susan Sarandon as Bette and Jessica Lange as Joan, the limited series explores the actors battling ageism and misogyny while simultaneously struggling to work with each other. Their feud on set extends into a lengthy battle of ego and bitterness long after the movie is wrapped up.
FEUD: Bette and Joan was well-received by critics for its strong acting and screenplay. It was nominated for several awards and won big at 2017’s Golden Globes, Emmy Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
This Indian crime series tells the story of a group of young men in Jamtara, Jharkhand who have successfully been running phishing scams for a while. Orchestrated by Sunny, along with his cousin and school friends, they make quick money through their operations. However, they soon begin to face problems when a new police superintendent takes interest in the case. To make matters worse, a corrupt politician also wants in on the scam throwing the whole thing in disarray.
Directed by Soumendra Padhi, Jamtara is loosely based on real-life incidents from the titular town. Despite differences in genres and conflicts, the central theme of a major scandal and its repercussions on interpersonal relationships between the characters is quite similar to Pam & Tommy.
The Deuce (Disney+ Hotstar)
This semi-fictional drama series boasts of a star cast that includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Franco, and Dominique Fishback. Set in the 1970s United States, this show looks into how the porn industry became legitimate. Having been controlled by organised crime for a long time, the business of porn slowly started to become a legal enterprise in New York City. During this time, several characters such as Vincent and Frankie Martino (Franco) and Candy, a sex worker (Gyllenhaal), decide to capitalise on it.
The Deuce is a gritty drama that offers social commentary on sex, gender, violence, and corruption in the 70s and 80s. Maggie Gyllenhaal was also nominated for a Golden Globe award in the Best Actress in a Television Drama series category for her performance.
The Act
Much like Pam & Tommy, this 2019 limited series also goes back and forth in time to recall the events in question. Starring Patricia Arquette and Joey King, this true-crime show talks about how Gypsy Blanchard (King) conspired to kill her mother Dee Dee (Arquette), whom she accused of abusing and manipulating her. Dee Dee spends years making her daughter believe that she was sick and confined to a wheelchair, fabricating stories about her disability and illness. Things begin to sour after her daughter suspects that she is lying.
Both the leads won critical acclaim for their performances and Patricia Arquette won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series.
In this Indian cricket thriller, the themes range from betrayal to drugs and power. But ultimately, the show is about scandal. Starring Vivek Oberoi, Richa Chadha, Aamir Bashir, and Sayani Gupta, Inside Edge revolves around the fictional Power-Play T-20 League. In the first season, things become murky when the cricket team Mumbai Mavericks, owned by Zareena (Chadha), is introduced to spot-fixing by Vikrant Dhawan (Oberoi). As each of the characters respond to this in their own manner, uncomfortable problems begin to emerge.
Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, this sports drama sheds light on the underbelly of the cricket world in an entertaining and gripping fashion.
GLOW (Netflix)
In this comedy-drama series, a struggling actress Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) stumbles upon the chance to audition for the show GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) at an old boxing gym. Despite her reservations about the show and its director, Ruth decides to give it a fair shot after realising that her career is not where she wants it to be.
Set in 1980s Los Angeles, GLOW is a heart-warming and humorous show that focuses on a group of 13 women working together. Similar to Pam & Tommy, this show is rich in nostalgia and explores what it is like to be a woman in show business. GLOW received multiple award nominations during its run and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Production Design and Stunt Coordination.
With cinema halls currently operating at full capacity across India, big-budget films such as Etharkkum Thunindhavanand Radhe Shyam are hitting theatres this week. Meanwhile, OTT platforms continue to consistently provide content to keep audiences engaged, and there are still films like Maaran and Clap opting for direct digital premieres.
On that note, here is a list of seven films and shows that are releasing on streaming platforms this week.
Continuing his OTT release streak, after Jagame Thandhiramand Atrangi Re, actor Dhanush will next be seen in Maaran, essaying the role of a journalist. The action-thriller is directed by Karthick Naren, and also features Malavika Mohanan as the female lead. With music composed by GV Prakash Kumar, Maaran is backed by Sathya Jyothi Films. The film will be released in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.
Written and directed by Prithivi Adithya, Clap is a Tamil-Telugu sports film starring Aadhi Pinisetty. In an earlier conversation with Silverscreen India, the filmmaker had said that Aadhi plays the character of a 400-metre athlete. “The crux of the story is about the events that occur in his life as a sportsman. Clap focuses on politics in sports, the hardships and responsibilities faced by an athlete’s family members, and the hard work that goes into someone becoming an inspirational sportsman,” he had added. Aadhi had previously said that it is a “very emotional film that incorporates beautiful human emotions.” Clap has music by Ilaiyaraaja.
Post its theatrical run, this critically-acclaimed Manikandan directorial is set to stream digitally from Friday. The film revolves around the last active farmer in a village, who finds himself detained by the police for a crime he did not commit. Featuring late real-life farmer Nallandi in the lead, the film also stars actors Vijay Sethupathi and Yogi Babu. In her review for Silverscreen India, Nithya Gnanapandithan observed that the film “makes us slow down and engage with something beautiful – and that’s a very precious thing.”
Led by Ryan Reynolds, this sci-fi adventure film is directed by Shawn Levy. The synopsis on Netflix reads, “After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed teams up with his 12-year-old self on a mission to save the future.” The director and actor said The Adam Project was their chance to pay tribute to films like Back to the Future and E.T.
This investigative crime thriller is a six-part series that will be available in Dhakni and Telugu. The show revolves around a father who is forced to sell his 12-year-old daughter via child marriage due to poverty. The daughter goes missing and a vigilante and a cop try to find her, going against child trafficking mafia.
This Telugu film is set against the backdrop of two college campuses, one medical and the other, engineering. Rivalry between the two institutes gets fuelled when a student from one campus, tries to court a girl from the other campus. The film stars Ashish, Anupama Parameswaran and Komalee Prasad, among others. Harsha Konuganti has directed the film.
7. Rider (March 11) – ZEE5
This Kannada film follows the friendship between Kitty and Chinnu, who share a great bonding during their childhood at an orphanage. They get separated and later, embark on a journey to find each other. Directed by Vijay Kumar Konda, the film features Nikhil Gowda, Anusha Rai, and Kashmira Pardeshi, among others.
Global entertainment studio International Art Machine is venturing into India and actor Preity Zinta and filmmakers Dibakar Banerjee and Shekhar Kapur will all direct new shows for the studio.
The first of these will be a series titled Shiva, helmed by Kapur. It will be an adaptation of Amish Tripathi’s Shiva trilogy of novels, beginning with the first book in the series, The Immortals of Meluha. Talking about the project, Kapur said, “Amish’s Shiva trilogy has been India’s great publishing sensation, crossing every age and class. It’s not just mythology, it’s modern storytelling at its best, lending itself to a beautiful international series.”
This will be followed by Zinta’s thriller, The Kitty Party. The actor said, “The Kitty Party is a female-driven murder mystery that moonlights between being a dramedy and thriller. Too early to comment more except that we cannot wait to get started. I’m sure we will have as much fun filming this as we had putting it together.” While Zinta has previously produced and written films, The Kitty Party will mark her directorial debut.
The International Art Machine’s upcoming slate also includes Dibakar Banerjee’s political thriller, Gods. The filmmaker, whose last release was Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, said, “Gods is an Indian story in a way that can only happen in India. It centres around the ‘Great Indian Family’. The generations. The power play. The family politics. I’m finally getting my secret wish – a family soap that will upend the genre – and channelling some of the best of Indian TV from the 80s and the 90s.”
Roy Price, former president of Amazon Studios and current CEO of International Art Machine, revealed that the plan is “to partner with creators across Asia to produce series that will be game-changers at home and successfully carry the banner of Asian originals abroad.”
Further details about the upcoming projects are awaited.
HBO has defended its popular show Euphoria, starring Zendaya, following reports that extras and the crew alleged a toxic work environment during the production of season 2. The network also claimed that no “formal inquiries” were raised.
Earlier in February, it was reported that the background actors on the series had alleged that there were multiple complaints made to the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) over the production failing to provide them meals on time and refusing to let people use the bathroom. Sources reportedly also claimed that the set didn’t have a proper holding area for the extras and that there were so many complaints called into SAG-AFTRA that a union representative was sent to check on the situation.
“I understand that I’m doing background work,” an unnamed actor told The Daily Beast. “I’m not the most important person there, I know where I am on the totem pole. But it got to a point where I was like, I’m still a person, I’m still human. Please let me go to the restroom, don’t tell me I can’t go for 30 minutes or tell me I can’t get a snack when you’re not going to feed me and it’s 4 am. It just very much felt like we didn’t exist as people.”
Further, another extra also commented that the Euphoria sets were highly disorganised.
However, HBO has now said in a statement, “The well-being of cast and crew on our productions is always a top priority. The production was in full compliance with all safety guidelines and guild protocols. It’s not uncommon for drama series to have complex shoots, and Covid protocols add an additional layer. We maintain an open line of communication with all the guilds, including SAG-AFTRA. There were never any formal inquiries raised.”
The allegations notably came days after a star on the show, Minka Kelly, spoke out publicly that she “didn’t feel comfortable” filming a nude scene for the series.
Euphoria was renewed for season 3 earlier in February. The show’s season 2 finale was aired on February 27.
The film industry across India has slowly been regaining its momentum, with five film releases in cinemas in the same week. Even so, the Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi, that premiered on February 25, continues to successfully thrive. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial, which earned over Rs 60 crores even before the end of its first week, is expected to cross the 100-crore mark by next weekend.
Aside from four Indian films, the release of The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson has led to a surge in audiences returning to cinema halls.
Silverscreen India brings to you, a compilation of reviews of films, which have had theatrical releases:
Dulquer Salmaan, Aditi Rao Hydari At The ‘Hey Sinamika’ Movie Launch
Marking the directorial debut of choreographer Brinda, Hey Sinamika is a romantic comedy. The story revolves around the lives of Mouna (Aditi Rao Hydari) and Yaazhan (Dulquer Salmaan), who fall in love and get married. Differences erupt between the couple and their relationship takes an unexpected turn, after the arrival of Malarvizhi (Kajal Aggarwal).
For Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India, the movie is partially structured like a musical, which she says would be an approach that redeems the film, to a certain extent.
“But overall, the narrative is uneven, limping from one awkwardly staged scene to another. Romantic comedies aren’t meant to be realistic, but plausible,” she adds, citing the representation of the film’s female characters as examples.
“Despite their high qualifications, the women don’t seem to have much success in their careers. You hardly see Malar at work. If Mouna, the country’s best paleotempestologist, has to plead with her boss for a transfer from Chennai to Pondicherry, maybe she is with the wrong company. But Yaazhan, an amateur radio jockey with a niche FM station, becomes the most popular RJ in Tamil Nadu in a few weeks,” she writes.
For Ranjani Krishnakumar of Film Companion, “the film so absorbed by its beauty that it overengineers everything.”
According to her, every frame, scene, dialogue, event, song, dance feels like an awkward performance put up for an Instagram audience, in an effort to stage ‘authenticity.’
She calls the film “superficial and contrived”, while the characters come in as caricatures. “We never understand them for who they are, but only as characteristics we might relate to because we’ve met people in real life with similar behaviour patterns,” she adds. However, she does credit the film’s cinematography, art direction, and costume designers.
According to Ashameera Aiyappan of Firstpost, the film bears no social or emotional logic.
Nagraj Popatrao Manjule’s Hindi directorial debut revolves around the life of Vijay Barse, a retired sports teacher, who founded an NGO called Slum Soccer that rehabilitated slum children, by building a soccer team with them. The cast includes Amitabh Bachchan, Ankush Gedam, Kishore Kadam, Arjun Radhakrishnan, Akash Thosar, and Rinku Rajguru, among others. It is to be noted that Thosar and Rajguru appeared in Manjule’s 2016 award-winning film Sairat.
However, almost all reviewers agreed that the film wavers from its intention of representing the marginalised, and ends up becoming more “Bollywood-ised”.
For Sankeertana of Silverscreen India, even though the film does not fall short on either humour or morality, it lacks precision.
“Vijay’s son is displeased with his father’s charitable spending. He leaves the country, and then he comes back changed. Why or how; we aren’t told. Not just that, the documentary-style exposition, before the interval block, meant to familiarise us with the kids, does the exact opposite,” she explains.
For Anupama Chopra of Film Companion, the film is less confrontational and more uplifting.
She adds that the film also suffers from a clash of tonality, and writes, “Jhund also struggles to blend in the towering persona of Amitabh Bachchan into its more documentary-style aesthetic. Nagraj and his terrific DOP Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti, are going for gritty realism and Mr. Bachchan, despite his tempered, genial, avuncular presence, remains larger-than-life.”
While Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost lauds the film for experimenting with a topic rarely discussed in Hindi cinema, she writes, “Despite some engaging moments with its ragtag team of sportspersons, Jhund is “an Amitabh Bachchan film” all the way, even if not in the conventional sense.”
The mentioned reviewers also pointed out the lack of characterisations rendered to the actors.
Jhundfailed to perform at the box office as well, with first collections amounting to just around a crore. Reddy said that the film might see a cut down in the number of shows if it fails to perform.
Directed by Amal Neerad, Bheeshma Parvam is a family saga that revolves around Michael, the patriarch of a family hailing from Kochi. Mammootty plays the lead role, and is seen alongside Dileesh Pothan, Shine Tom Chacko, and Soubin Shahir, among others.
According to Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India, even though the film takes a predictable course, the flaws do not overpower it.
“Bheeshma Parvam is confident kitsch, a solid guilty pleasure, unafraid of being inter/extratextual, without a larger sociological context, headlined by a glorious Mammootty, who plays Michael,” she writes.
She notes that the film is inspired by the Hindu epic Mahabharata, from which Bheeshma is borrowed, and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. For her, Bheeshma Parvam not only comes at a time when the Oscar-winning film is celebrating its 50th anniversary, but also recreates bits from it.
Noting that the film does not come with too many stunts, she writes, “Bheeshma Parvam is Mammootty acing a different kind of local mass cinema, one that respects not just his past but his present, where his frailties become as inspired as his strengths.”
For Vishal Menon of Film Companion, though the parallels drawn between the film’s characters and those from the Mahabharata work, it is the predictability of Neerad’s screenplay that makes the film fall behind.
For Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost, it is the film’s “potpourri of religious and ethnic communities in the narrative” that is its selling point, as much as it becomes its Achilles’ heel.
She calls the film a “passable entertainer” and writes, “It is a polished production, but not distractingly glossy.”
British actor and model Jameela Jamil will join actors Sarah Hyland and Lera Abova to star in the new Pitch Perfect television series. The show has been picked by the network Peacock.
The series was first announced in September as a spin-off to the successful musical franchise of the same name. It features actors Adam Devine and Flula Borg who will be reprising their roles as Bumper Allen and Piëter Krämer from the original film series.
According to a report by Variety, the Pitch Perfect series is set several years after the events of the films and it follows Bumper’s musical career in Germany. After one of his songs becomes popular in Berlin, he decides to move there as a way to revive his career and makes Piëter his assistant.
The upcoming series serves as a reunion of sorts as several cast members have collaborated with each other in the past. Actor Sarah Hyland worked with Adam Devine when she was starring as Haley Dunphy in the hit sitcom Modern Family. Here, Hyland will play Bumper and Piëter’s assistant Heidi, who secretly wishes to become a singer and songwriter. She spends her nights moonlighting as a cabaret singer in Berlin.
Jameela Jamil will portray the character Gisela who has been modelled as Bumper’s main rival. Actor Lera Abova has been cast as Piëter’s sister who is a famous nightclub DJ and music producer.
The filming for the series is set to begin soon.
The television show will be written by Megan Amram, who also serves as its showrunner and executive producer. She previously worked on the sitcom The Good Place. Apart from Amram, the series will be executively produced by Adam Devine, Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Paul Brooks, and Scott Neimeyer.
Since the Pitch Perfect movies were produced by Universal Pictures, the upcoming show will be handled by Universal Television, the production company’s television side.
The makers are yet to announce a release date for the series.
With Covid-19 restrictions being eased across the country, the prospects of theatre owners seem to be looking up. However, even as cinema halls regain momentum, OTT platforms are still releasing new content for audiences, and we bring you here a list of some of the ones coming up this week.
But if you are in the mood to watch something from the comfort of your own homes, Silverscreen India brings you this list of seven OTT releases this week.
The story of this thriller series revolves around DCP Rudraveer Singh (Ajay Devgn), who hunts down criminals in Mumbai. The series also stars Esha Deol and Raashi Khanna.
2. The Boys Presents: Diabolical: Season 1 (March 4) – Amazon Prime Video
According to the official synopsis, this animated series will feature 12-14 minute episodes, each with its own animation style, which will reveal unseen stories within The Boys universe.
3. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season 2 (March 4) – Netflix
In season 2 of this animated series, the fate of Eternos hangs in the balance, as He-Man and the heroes form new alliances to stop Skeletor from raising an army of the dead and obtaining ultimate power.
4. Pieces of Her (March 4) – Netflix
In Pieces of Her, a woman tries to learn about her mother’s dark past, after a violent attack in their small town brings hidden threats and deadly secrets to light. The series is based on a novel of the same name.
DJ Tillu is a Telugu film that revolves around a lazy young man, who spends his time chasing women. When a local DJ and an affair with a young woman put him in the middle of a crime, he must do his best to get out of the predicament he is stuck in.
6. Ramany vs Ramany 3.0 (March 4) – Aha Tamil
Ramany vs Ramany 3.0 is a reboot of the late 90s and early 2000s Tamil television series Ramany Vs Ramany. The family drama series retains actor Ramji in the lead role as Mr Ramany, while Vasuki Anand will essay the role of Mrs Ramany. Ponni Suresh and Param Guhanesh will be seen playing the roles of their children. The series is directed by Naga and produced by Kavithalayaa.
Undekhi is the story of two opposite worlds in collision. When Rishi, an amateur filmmaker from a big city, decides to do the right thing, he ends up in the crosshairs of the Atwals, a dangerous and powerful family from the rustic heartland.
Squid Game has made history by becoming the first-ever non-English language show to win Screen Actors Guild awards. The Korean show won three awards from its four nominations at SAG Awards 2022. While actors Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-Yeon won in the lead acting categories for drama, the show also nabbed the award for outstanding action performance by a stunt ensemble in a television series.
While accepting her award, Jung said, “First and foremost, thank you so much. I have sat many a times watching you on the big screen, dreaming of one day becoming an actor. I just want to say thank you so much. Thank you for making me dream and opening the doors for me.”
The South Korean survival drama series, which premiered on September 17, 2021, became Netflix’s biggest launch ever and amassed over 142 million household views in the first four weeks. While global viewing hours of Netflix’s Korean shows grew six-fold last year, compared to 2019, Squid Game continues to be its biggest show with 95% of its viewership coming from outside of Korea.
Squid Game was not the only history-maker at the 2022 edition of the SAG Awards.
Troy Kotsur became the first actor from the deaf community to win a SAG award. Kotsur bagged the award for outstanding supporting actor in a film for his portrayal of Frank Rossi in CODA.
The film also won the top SAG prize: outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.
CODA (Child Of Deaf Adults) revolves around Emilia Jones’ character Ruby Rossi, who is the only hearing member of a deaf family. It had premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2021 and was acquired by AppleTV+ for $25 million – the highest in the festival’s history.
While accepting his award, Kotsur thanked the film’s makers for “casting us authentically as actors who happen to be deaf.”
He also said, “I am so proud to be a member [of SAG]. I have been a member since 2001, so now I feel like I am finally part of the family. And I know you all are artists, and that you all know what it is like to be a starving actor. [Back] then, I used to sleep in my car, in my dressing room, backstage, I couch-surfed and all of that. So, thank you so much. I am grateful to SAG for protecting us actors.”
Ariana DeBose won her first SAG award in the supporting actor category for her performance in Steven Spielberg’s musical West Side Story.
Will Smith also received his first-ever SAG award for his role in the film King Richard. Both DeBose and Smith are also Oscar nominees for their respective performances.
Jessica Chastain accepted the best lead acting award for her role in the film, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and said, “My heart is with the international family all over the world, who are fighting for their safety and their freedom.”
Photo Caption: Will Smith, Ariana DeBose, Troy Kotsur; Credit for DeBose and Kotsur: Twitter
Other winners of the evening included Jean Smart and Jason Sudeikis for their performances in the comedy series Hacks and Ted Lasso, respectively.
Kate Winslet, Smart’s co-actor from Mare of Easttown, won the lead acting honour in the limited series category for her role as the local cop Mare Sheehan. Michael Keaton won the male version of the same award for Dopesick.
HBO’s Succession, which had garnered the most nominations with five nods, only won for best ensemble in a drama series. Apart from just acknowledging the win for their series on a media mogul and his family, actor Brian Cox also took a minute to turn the attention to the recent Russian incursion in Ukraine.
Cox said, “It’s truly, truly awful. And it’s particularly awful in terms of what is affecting the other people, particularly in our profession.” He highlighted the fact that Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskky, was a comedian and actor himself.
“But the thing that’s really distressed me is what’s happening in Russia, to my fellow actors and actresses, performers, writers, and critics. They are told under pain of high treason that they cannot say a word about Ukraine. And I think that is pretty awful, and I think that we should all stand together also for those people in Russia who don’t like what’s going on, and particularly the artists,” he added.
The 28th edition of the SAG Awards was held as an in-person event at Barker Hangar, California on Sunday night.
Freedom Fight, the Malayalam anthology that highlights the significance of personal freedom, has garnered positive responses from both audiences and critics, following its release on SonyLIV on February 11.
The five filmmakers talk to Silverscreen India about making their segments and how the project came together.
It was Baby who took the initiative to present this project in 2021. In a previous conversation with us, the filmmaker explained that after finalising his story, he had reached out to the four others and asked them to come up with their best stories in whichever genre or theme they wanted. The stories coincidentally all ended up having a common theme.
Now, all four budding directors unanimously say that they were able to give their best because they had “complete freedom” in the creative process to explore their desired areas of interest.
Photo Source: Still from Asangadithar
Kunjila’s Asangadithar (The Unorganised Sector), starring actor Srindaa, is a docu-fiction that revolves around the working women of Kozhikode’s SM street, who fought for access to toilets.
The story is based on real-life events. A human rights activist named Viji formed an association named ‘Penkoottu‘ for women to fight against the exploitation of their labour, including the imposition of long working hours. Further, the shopping complexes in the area had no toilets, despite a government mandate directing all commercial buildings to provide such facilities. In 2014, Viji formed the Asanghaditha Mekhala ThozhilaliUnion (AMTU), or the Union of Workers in the Unorganised Sector, to fight for such rights and amenities.
In conversation with us, Kunjila says, “In 2019, I came down to Kozhikode from Mumbai to make a documentary on Viji’s AMTU initiative. It was a crowdfunded project. While editing the documentary, I realised that I needed to shoot more. But, I couldn’t complete it. Later, after the release of The Great Indian Kitchen, I reached out to Baby and asked him for an opportunity to assist him in the future. One day, I received a call from him and he asked if I was interested in working on this anthology. That’s how I got on board.”
Kunjila has an inclination towards docu-fiction as she feels that the genre adds more depth to the content. And when she got the opportunity to be part of Freedom Fight, she felt that her documentary’s subject had the potential to be fictionalised.
“Although I had previously done some groundwork, the research material in my possession was purely fact-based. So, I wrote a script for this docu-fiction short after a bit more research. We did not use any footage from my documentary and simply recreated some of the scenes from it. We also added some fictional elements to the story. For example, there is a scene where the women break the lock of a shop. It was added to make the story more cinematic.”
The filmmaker notes that her short features a mix of actors and non-actors. The latter included activist Viji herself and members of Penkoottu. They had to attend a set of workshops and rehearse before the commencement of the shoot.
With respect to the current working condition of women in SM Street, Kunjila says that after many protests, now, there are common toilets in the vicinity and a few complexes also have toilets. However, many other issues continue to persist.
Photo Source: Still from Pra. Thu. Moo.
Jithin Issac Thomas’s Pra. Thoo. Mu. is a story about an atrocity against a sewage worker by a politician. It stars actors Unni Lalu and Sidhartha Siva. The hard-hitting film takes a staunch political stand, voicing out against inhumane acts.
The filmmaker says his interest lies in raw and realistic filmmaking, which he has employed in Pra. Thoo. Mu. He adds that he met Baby at The Great Indian Kitchen’s celebratory function, and that is how he landed the opportunity to work on this anthology.
“Earlier, I was living with friends in a flat in Ernakulam. One day, the septic tank overflowed and when we called the workers to fix it, they were unable to come immediately. We were asked not to use the toilet for six days, until it was repaired. We instantly planned to move out of the place. Whereas, had it been an issue with television or a pipe, we would have at least attempted to fix it by ourselves. That’s when I realised the importance of these workers and thought it would make a good subject for a film.”
While developing the story, Jithin and his team spoke to sanitation workers for inputs. The art direction team, headed by Manav Suresh, set up a septic tank and an original sewage tanker was brought in for filming. Jithin says that he opted to make a black and white film as he felt that the monochrome imagery would strongly convey the politics discussed in it.
“I did not intend to make a political short. But, the story I wrote demanded touching upon topics like power dynamics in society. However, I did not know the final output would create such a huge impact. I am glad about the responses,” he adds.
Photo Source: Ration Poster
Francis Louis, who previously edited The Great Indian Kitchen, has directed the segment Ration, starring Kabani and Jeo Baby.
The story is about a middle-class homemaker (Kabani) who mistakenly cooks an expensive fish that was given to her by an upper-class neighbour to store. The story goes on to show her efforts to keep up her prestige and amicability with her neighbour. The film subtly discusses the intersection of gender and class differences.
“I got this idea from an incident that happened at home, many years ago. When I shared it with Baby, he encouraged me to work on it. At the time, I did not have an ending for the film and Baby gave me suggestions. The story was finalised after incorporating some fictional elements in it,” says Francis.
He mentions that he set the film in Kuttanad as fishing forms the people’s primary livelihood there. About the title, he explains that ‘Ration’ here means sharing and one of the film’s main ideas is about sharing food.
“Beyond class differences, I wanted to show what a dependent woman goes through with regard to ideas of wealth, prestige and the fear of being seen as underprivileged. At the same time, I did not want it to seem preachy or exaggerate it. So I tried to keep it subtle,” says Francis, adding that his experience with editing made it easy for him to make his film.
Photo Source: Still from Geethu Unchained
Geethu Unchained, which features Rajisha Vijayan, is directed by Akhil Anilkumar. The story revolves around a young woman who struggles to juggle her dreams and social expectations.
Akhil says, “I actually reached out to Baby to get someone else’s contact for producing my short film. That’s when he told me that he was planning to do an anthology and asked if I was interested. When I narrated the story, he instantly liked it, and we pitched it to Rajisha soon after. She was the first person I had in mind during the scripting process.”
The filmmaker says it took him two days to write the short, which was filmed over nine days in and around Kochi.
The short takes a light-hearted approach and Akhil says, “We as individuals are bound by this notion of what others will think. That was my idea for Geethu Unchained. This aspect is shown from a woman’s point of view. I wanted to try something out-of-box with respect to its treatment. So, I decided to break the fourth wall and have Geethu be the narrator who tells her stories directly to the audience.”
Interestingly, Akhil’s other film Archana 31 Not, starring Aishwarya Lekshmi, was also released on the same day, in theatres. On writing films centred around women, he says that he usually discusses the story with many women in his family and friends circle. “Their inputs and suggestions help me gain a better understanding of women and ensure that the right message gets conveyed,” he adds.
Photo Source: Picture From the Sets of Old Age Home
Baby’s segment, starring Joju George, Rohini and Lali, is titled Old Age Home. It revolves around an elderly man with memory loss and his urge to have the freedom to eat as per his desire. The film also shows the perspectives of his wife and house help.
“My dad had an issue with memory loss and that inspired me to make this film,” says Baby.
About the film’s treatment, he says that since it deals with old age, they decided to employ a slow pace. “We also used a lot of wide shots. Both were done with a view to convey the notions of loneliness and ageing,” he adds.
After the success of The Great Indian Kitchen, Freedom Fight is Baby’s second consecutive successful project to premiere on an OTT platform and he terms the medium a ‘boon’ for filmmakers.
Kunjila agrees. “Due to the current OTT boom, I feel that the scope has widened for indie films, beyond just film festivals and YouTube. And I definitely believe that our content reached a larger audience only because of this production banner,” she says.
The makers of the fantasy drama series Outlander are all set to create a prequel based on the show. Outlander currently airs on the network Starz.
According to a report by Variety, Outlander’s executive producer and showrunner Matthew B Roberts will be writing and serving as the executive producer for the upcoming show as well. A team of writers is currently being rounded up to work on it.
Ronald D Moore who developed the idea of Outlander will also serve as the prequel’s executive producer under his production banner Tall Ship. Sony Pictures is collaborating with Starz for the project.
The news comes right after the announcement that Outlander has been renewed for a seventh season. It will consist 16 episodes. Starring Sam Heughan and Catriona Balfe in the lead as Jamie and Claire, the plot follows their characters as they travel through time and find themselves in multiple historical events including the Jacobite Rebellion, the first World War, and the American Revolution.
Based on a series of novels by Diana Gabaldon, each season tackles a book from the series. The Hollywood Reporterwrote that Gabaldon had earlier hinted at a prequel in a Facebook post in February. There are also speculations that the upcoming prequel will be based on her 2013 novella Virgins which focuses on the younger versions of Jamie and another character called Ian Murray in 1740s France.
However, representatives from Starz and Sony Pictures have declined to comment on this.
This is the second television series based on Outlander that has been produced by Sony Pictures and Starz. Actors Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish starred in a travel show Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham. An unscripted series, it follows the men as they take viewers around Scotland narrating the country’s history and culture.
A copyright case has been filed against Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming reality show Lock Upp by Sanober Baig, a businessman based in Hyderabad.
He approached the city’s civil court claiming that the Ekta Kapoor show is based on his registered idea for a show called The Jail.
The court has consequently restrained the makers of Lock Upp from streaming the show on any platform. Lock Upp was scheduled to stream on AltBalaji and MX Player from Sunday.
Baig has alleged that he had shared the concept for the show with Endemol Shine India’s Abhishek Rege, who “backstabbed and ditched” him. Talking to Indian Express, Baig said, “I registered my idea with the association back in 2018. I then got a director Shantanu Re to work with me on the same. We had even pitched this idea to Star Plus but nothing worked out. And then, due to the pandemic, things got further delayed. I have been in touch with Abhishek Rege for a long time and had several meetings about the subject in Hyderabad. He promised that once the market got better, we would get going. A week back, I saw my dreams turned into someone else’s reality.”
The businessman said that he approached the civil court as soon as he saw the promos for Ranaut’s show last week. He also alleged that even minute details from his concept were stolen by the makers of Lock Upp, including things like having a jailer, contestants in costumes, and the set design.
“I have a lot of money as I am a successful builder in Hyderabad. As for fame, I am not a politician or public figure that being in the news will help me in any way. It’s not just about me or my huge monetary loss, there’s a whole team that has worked on the show. They have given their time and effort, which can never be brought back. I want justice for all of them,” he further told the news publication.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Kapoor revealed the name of the fifth confirmed contestant on the show. She took to Instagram and shared that television actor Karanvir Bohra will be joining Poonam Pandey, Nisha Rawal, Munawar Faruqui, and Babita Phogat in the reality show. While earlier promos stated that the show will release on January 27, the newer promos do not mention a premiere date.
Update: The Telangana High Court set aside the injunction of the civil court against releasing, exhibiting, and publishing Lock Upp and allowed it to be streamed online. The show thus started its live stream on the previously-mentioned date, February 27. The High Court noted that while the concept of The Jail and Lock Upp were similar, the makers of the latter had already produced it, spent money on it, and even set a live stream date. Thus, the injunction was set aside and the streaming was allowed.
The much-awaited Tamil film Valimai, starring actor Ajith Kumar, finally released in theatres on Thursday. The film’s earnings from its worldwide pre-sale business (Rs 96 Cr approximately) has already beaten the numbers of Ajith’s 2017 film Vivegam (2017).
In Malayalam, Aaraattu, the Mohanlal-starrer which released on February 18, has collected Rs 17.80 crore at the global box office in its first three days. As per the makers, the film released on 2700 screens worldwide.
Even with theatrical releases of films headed towards a path of recovery across the country, new titles continue to hit OTT platforms. Silverscreen India brings you a list of seven new titles you can stream this week.
Starring Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Kapoor and Manav Kaul, the Hindi series is directed by Bejoy Nambiar and Karishma Kohli. The series’s logline reads, “When India’s most famous actress goes missing, the search for her chips away at the flawless facade of her life and family, revealing painful truths.”
Produced by Ajmal Khan and Reyaa, the Tamil film is written and directed by Vishal Venkat. It features actors Ashok Selvan, Manikandan, Nasser, Riythvika, KS Ravikumar, and Banupriya, among several others and released in theatres in January. The director in an earlier conversation with Silverscreen India, said, “In the hyperlink film, set over a couple of days, the lives of four people from different social backgrounds intersect during an incident.”
The Hindi crime thriller written and directed by Shanker Raman features actors Vikrant Massey, Sanya Malhotra, and Bobby Deol. According to the streaming platform, “The film tells the story of star-crossed lovers Vikrant Massey and Sanya Malhotra, who are hunted by a mercenary. The story is set against the backdrop of rustic Northern India and talks about finding hope in a world where money and power rule.”
Directed by Tinu Pappachan, the Malayalam film features actors Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Arjun Ashokan and Sambumon Abdul Samad in the lead roles. The film first released in the theatres on December 23 and had a successful screening for 75 days. The streaming platform’s logline reads, “During a temple festival, two mahouts gets into an altercation with some locals and find themselves surrounded by a hostile crowd. They depend on their elephant to survive the ordeal and escape.”
The Brazilian series follows Anita’s self-discovery and maturity journey. “At 15, played by Maisa, she had a great expectation of adult life: leave the tiny hometown, travel to many places and get to know a lot of people. But at 30, played by Camila Queiroz, her life is nothing like that. After taking refuge in the bedroom where she spent adolescence, like magic, she is propelled to the first day of high school: a 30-years-old head in the body of a 15-years-old teenager.”
The action-adventure film stars actor Franck Gastambide. Itslogline reads, “After going to extremes to cover up an accident, a corrupt cop’s life spirals out of control when he starts receiving threats from a mysterious witness.”
Karma’s World Music Videos (February 24) – Netflix
The Netflix animated series follows an aspiring musical artist and rapper with big talent and an even bigger heart. “Smart, resilient, and deeply empathetic, Karma pours her soul into songwriting in hopes of one day changing the world.”
Actor Silambarasan (also known as Simbu), who was last seen in the hit Tamil time-travel action film Maanaadu (2021), is the new host of the ongoing reality game show Bigg Boss Ultimate Tamil, replacing politician-actor Kamal Haasan.
The announcement was made on social media on Thursday by Disney+ Hotstar, where the show is currently streaming. A 40-second promo featuring Simbu was also released along with the announcement.
It is to be noted that the show will mark the actor’s maiden venture in the OTT space. As per the format of the show, the host will make appearances during the Saturday and Sunday episodes, when a contestant gets evicted. This means Simbu’s maiden episode is set to premiere on Saturday (February 26).
The announcement comes a few days after Haasan had announced his decision to opt-out of hosting the show.
On Sunday, Haasan, in a detailed statement, revealed that he has stepped down as the host, citing requirements to complete his upcoming Tamil film Vikram with director Lokesh Kanagaraj. Mentioning that the “rightly imposed” Covid-19 restrictions have impacted the works of Vikram, resulting in clashing of dates required for the show and film, he said it would be “unfair” to make artists and technicians wait for him. Besides starring, Haasan is also producing Vikram under his Raaj Kamal Films International banner.
Coincidentally, Haasan, who had continuously hosted all seasons of Bigg Boss Tamil, including the recently concluded fifth installment, also made his OTT debut with the digital version of the show.
The Delhi High Court has ordered internet service providers to block access to 34 rogue websites that have been streaming pirated content from various streaming giants and international productions.
The order came after the content owners, including Universal City Studios LLC, Warner Bros Entertainment Inc, Columbia Pictures Industries Inc, Netflix Studios LLC, Paramount Pictures Corporation and Disney Enterprises Inc, filed a suit seeking to permanently restrain these websites from distributing the copyrighted content.
Their petition mentioned that the websites were involved in continuous infringement of copyright of several films and shows, including Mulan, Lego Batman, Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, San Andreas and Joker and television series such as Mob Psycho, Friends, Stranger Things, Sacred Games, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures and Arrow, causing immense loss to them.
The plaintiffs contended that the websites in question are anonymous in nature and it is thus virtually impossible to bring the owners before court. So, they also sought an interim direction to block access to the websites in question.
The court agreed there was merit in this argument and said, “There is no gainsaying that these websites are actively streaming motion pictures and television content of the plaintiffs through illegal means. The legal notices issued to them have evoked no response. Such illegal websites made with the primary and sole objective to pirate copyrighted works for their own commercial benefits cannot be permitted to continue doing so, to await the disposal of the suit.”
However, the court directed the complaint to be registered as a suit and issued summons in the same. The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for May 10.
In the meantime, the internet service providers, who were also listed as defendants in the complaint, have been ordered to block access to the websites in question.
The court also directed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to issue notifications asking the telecom service providers registered under them to disable access into India of the said websites within 36 hours.
Shimon Hayut, otherwise known as Simon Leviev, the central figure in the Netflix documentary TheTinder Swindler, has denied claims that he conned women for money.
Speaking out against the allegations for the first time, in an exclusive interview with Inside Edition, Hayut denied being a “Tindler Swindler” and said, “I’m not a fraud and I’m not a fake. People don’t know me so they cannot judge me.” He added, “I am not this monster that everybody has created. I was just a single guy who wanted to meet some girls on Tinder.”
The Tinder Swindler has been streaming on Netflix since February 2. Directed by Felicity Morris, the true-crime documentary follows three women who accused Hayut of scamming them of $500,000 in total.
Hayut is a convicted fraudster born in Israel. He claimed to be the son of a billionaire diamond mogul and used dating apps to meet multiple women. He then allegedly established lines of credit and loans under their names, ultimately leaving them responsible for the bills.
It is to be noted that even before the timeline shown in the documentary, Hayut had faced multiple charges in Israel and was sentenced to prison time in Finland.
Hayut is said to have duped women of a total of $10 million. He would evade repayment by cajoling, threatening or stalling his victims. He had a habit of sending increasingly unhinged WhatsApp voice messages, even sending one to the filmmakers when he learned about existence of The Tinder Swindler.
In the interaction released by Inside Edition on Monday, Hayut denied being a billionaire’s son and said the women in The Tinder Swindler were not conned or threatened by him. He added that he didn’t “feel bad” for the women who spoke out in the documentary as he did not do what was alleged.
Hayut’s girlfriend, Israeli model Kate Konlin, also appeared during the interaction and said that he never borrowed any money from her. She added, “My God! How can someone pull off such a fake stunt?”
The Tinder Swindler has garnered over 64 million hours of viewership, according to Netflix’s weekly data, and has been featuring in the top spot since its release.
Recently, Varietyreported that the streamer is also planning to make a feature film based on the documentary.
