On Tuesday, Netflixannounced that actor Randeep Hooda will lead its upcoming revenge drama titled CAT. The series will be jointly directed by showrunner Balwinder Singh Janjua along with Rupinder Chahal and Anutej Singh.
According to a press release, CAT is a crime thriller set against the backdrop of the Punjab hinterlands. The story is about an innocent man who is thrown into a deep, drug trafficking conspiracy amongst gang lords, cops, and political bodies.
Talking about the series, Hooda, who has previously collaborated with Netflix on the Chris Hemsworth-starrer Extraction, said in a statement, “Working with Netflix is always a pleasure. I had a tremendous time during Extraction and the love it got me from around the world was phenomenal. CAT again has all the elements to appeal to a global audience. It has given me an opportunity to explore new facets as an actor, with a simple but intriguing script. Can’t wait to see the audience reaction to the series.”
Hooda also took to his social media page to release the series poster.
Janjua, who has previously written films like Saand Ki Aankh and Mubarakan, recently finished making the Sony Pictures social comedy film Tera Kya Hoga Lovely, also featuring Hooda alongside Ileana D’cruz.
According to the press release, Janjua wanted to showcase an era in Punjab that marked a surge in drug trafficking. This period from the early 2000s will be portrayed in CAT. The series is produced by Movie Tunnel Productions, in association with Jelly Bean Entertainment.
A release date is yet to be announced for the series.
Apart from CAT, Hooda will also be seen in an upcoming web series Inspector Avinash, based on a real-life cop from UP. The series also features Urvashi Rautela, Mahesh Manjrekar, Rajneesh Duggal, Govind Namdev, Freddy Daruwala, Adhyayan Suman, Priyanka Bose, Amit Sial, and Abhimanyu Singh.
According to a press release, Thar is set in the 80s and revolves around Harshvarrdhan Kapoor’s character, Siddharth, who embarks on a journey to avenge his past, after moving to Pushkar for a job.
Anil Kapoor, who is also producing the film under his AKFC Network banner, said in the press release, “I am extremely proud of what we have achieved with Thar and am super excited about the film for several reasons. The genre itself – a noir thriller set in Rajasthan that pays tribute to the genre of the classic Western, is a first for Indian cinema and audiences.”
Kapoor further mentioned that the film is the product of fresh collaborations, in front of the camera and behind. “Thar is a playground where the dynamism of new blood meets the experience of industry stalwarts, both on and off-screen. On-screen we see the fresh pairing of Harshvarrdhan Kapoor and Fatima Sana Sheikh and off-screen we see director Raj Singh Chaudhary creating magic with a team of ambitious, risk-taking debutantes – Director of Photography Shreya Dev Dube and Music Composer Ajay Jayanthi.”
“As an actor and a producer, I have always strived to push the envelope and disrupt the status quo with innovative content. Thar is a manifestation of this obsession and I’m thrilled to have a partner as supportive and collaborative as Netflix to take this story as far and wide as it can go. We, at AKFC Network, truly believe that audiences in India and across the globe will love and embrace the film for all its beauty, grit, and thrill,” the actor added.
AKFC Network’s roster includes films such as Gandhi, MyFather, Khoobsurat, and Veere di Wedding, and the Indian adaptation of the TV series 24. The banner has previously collaborated with Netflix on Aravind Adiga’s sports drama show Selection Day. Thar is the first film that the two have collaborated on.
The film, which has been shot at various locations around India, is yet to get a release date.
Actor-politician Kamal Haasan announced on Sunday that he is opting out as host of the reality show Bigg Boss Ultimate (Tamil) in order to focus on completing his upcoming film, Vikram.
Haasan, who has been the host for all the seasons of Bigg Boss Tamil, including the recently-concluded fifth season, made his debut in the OTT space by anchoring the show’s digital version, Bigg Boss Ultimate Tamil, that streams 24×7 on Disney+ Hotstar.
In his statement on Sunday, Haasan said that the Covid-19 pandemic, and the resulting restrictions “rightly imposed” by the government, had forced the team of Vikram to reschedule its production and post-production. This resulted in clashes with the dates required for the reality show and made him have to choose between the two, he revealed.
“We had so far meticulously planned to ensure that the production schedule of Vikram does not affect my commitments to Bigg Boss, a show that is so very close to my heart. So much so, I did not let any personal discomfort I might have had after I was personally down with Covid. I was back on stage meeting all you and hosting this wonderful show, the moment I tested negative,” the actor wrote, adding that it was an honour to launch the OTT version of Bigg Boss as an “avid supporter of innovation and technology in the field of entertainment.”
However, Haasan said that the reshuffling of Vikram’s production had resulted in an unavoidable overlap in his schedule. With some more days of shoot remaining for the film, including combination scenes with prominent stars and technicians, he would not be able to manage both Vikram and Bigg Boss together, the actor added.
“It would be unfair to make such eminent stars and technicians wait for me, considering their schedule and other commitments that they might already have. Consequently, I am now constrained to opt out of this season of Bigg Boss Ultimate for the remaining episodes after February 20,” Haasan said.
He added that he had a free and fair discussion with the management of Vijay TV (the channel producing the show) and they were supportive and cooperative.
Haasan also confirmed that he will be back as the host for Bigg Boss Season 6.
There is no word yet on who will replace him as the host of Bigg Boss Ultimate. However, it may be noted that when Haasan took a brief break from the show after testing positive for Covid-19 in November, actor Ramya Krishnan stepped in for a few episodes of Bigg Boss Season 5.
Following the decline in openings, films have gradually started to release in theatres, as states have lifted restrictions and reopened cinema halls. Much-awaited premieres of big-budget films like Gangubai Kathiawadi, RRR, and Radhe Shyam are to hit the screens, soon.
Silverscreen India brings to you a compilation of reviews of films, which have had both theatrical and online releases:
Aaraattu is the story of Neyyattinkara Gopan played by Mohanlal, who purchases a large piece of land in Chittur for construction purposes. On his arrival, he learns that residents there are forcefully being evicted from their homes by real-estate mafia.
According to Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India, the film is shot without any grace, in the likes of a low-budget ad film.
“The film, which has the tone of a TikTok video, functions like an inside joke shared among the superstar’s most loyal fans who would gladly take any bitter pill that he hands out,” she writes.
She further calls the film “a museum that exhibits the relics of the 90s”, in which the supporting actors are primarily present to respond to Mohanlal’s actions.
Vishal Menon of Film Companion, reflected similar sentiments as of Gopalakrishnan’s. He noted on the film’s efforts to live in the glories of Mohanlal’s past works like Sagar Alias Jacky, Manichitrathazhu and Chitram.
“So, the first half plays out like a game of spot-the-reference, with a barrage of clues testing your devotion for Mohanlal,” he writes about the film.
SR Praveen of The Hindu, calls the film “almost three hours of all-round star worship.”
“The thin plot line appears to be an excuse for a celebration of the star from every angle possible,” he adds, and mentions that the actors in supporting roles come off as lacking depth.
The story revolves around a play school teacher (Yami Gautam), who takes her students hostage and makes a proposition for her demands to be fulfilled, in exchange for the children’s release.
Although Anupama Chopra of Film Companion, calls Gautam’s casting as a gun-pointing play school teacher “clever and counter-intuitive”, the film fails in a way that it only becomes partly effective and “offers dangerous and simplistic solutions to our failed polity”, she writes.
“A Thursday is too afraid to make Naina actually dangerous or even unlikeable. Until she goes rogue, she is overwhelmingly loved by both, parents and kids,” Chopra adds.
For Pradeep Menon of Firstpost, the film is “guiltily compelling” that comes with so few hiccups, minor in nature, they might as well not have been there.
Although he appreciated Gautam’s performance, he added that her character could have been a little less self-aware instead of being “the film’s non-stop emphasis on shock-value.”
Netflix has announced that it is collaborating with Dave Chappelle, the American comedian, to produce a new series of four comedy specials titled Chappelle’s Home Team. The specials will feature four different comedians. Chappelle, who is the show’s executive producer, has hand-picked the comedians himself.
The upcoming comedy special shows the continuing partnership between Dave Chappelle and Netflix, despite the controversy surrounding the former’s comedy special Closer in October last year. The stand-up comedian drew substantial criticism from both Netflix employees and several others for making transphobic and homophobic jokes in the Netflix special.
The first special in the upcoming series is titled Earthquake: Legendary and will premiere on February 28. It features comedian Nathaniel Martin Stroman whose stage name is Earthquake. According to Variety, the comedian will discuss health, prostate exams, and disciplining kids in his segment.
The second comedy special will feature Donnell Rawlings. However, a release date is yet to be announced.
Netflix is yet to give out more information on the other two specials.
While Dave Chappelle will not be performing in the series, he will be introducing the comics before the beginning of the show. According to a report by TheHollywood Reporter, all the stand-up comedians are veterans who have almost 30 years of experience in the field.
Speaking about the upcoming series, Dave Chappelle said, “I’ve been doing this a long time and comedians like Quake and Donnell are not only friends but have inspired my own career. Anyone in the comedy community knows these names and knows their time to shine is long overdue. I am proud to be a part of this moment.”
Chappelle’s Home Team is directed by Stan Lathan. Apart from Chappelle, the series has been executively produced by Rikki Hughes, Earthquake, Jermaine Smith, and Stan Lathan.
Despite the backlash surrounding Closer, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos defended the streaming platform’s association with the controversial comic. While he eventually admitted that he “screwed up” in the way Netflix treated its employees and handled the backlash, he noted that the show will continue to stream on his platform.
Netflix has also been firm on continuing to work with Chappelle and he is scheduled to appear in the streaming giant’s comedy festival Netflix is a Joke on April 28.
With the pandemic restrictions being eased, film industries across India, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam, are gradually gearing up for the theatrical releases of big-budget, star-studded films. However, OTT platforms still seem lucrative for show business, as they provide filmmakers and artists with the freedom to work with different formats, such as series and anthologies, as evidenced by the recent success of the Malayalam anthology Freedom Fight.
Ahead of the premiere of films such as Valimaiand Bheemla Nayak later this month, Silvercreen India brings you a list of series and films that you can watch in the comfort of your home, before catching up with those big releases.
Following the launch of Aha Tamil recently, Irai, led by Sarath Kumar, is set to be one of its first originals. Helmed by Rajesh M Selva, the series is based on a novel named Birds of Prey, written by Archana Sarat. The filmmaker, who is directing a series for the first time, earlier said to us that Irai discusses sensitive topics of child abuse and trafficking. In the show, Sarath Kumar plays a cop named Robert Vasudevan, alongside Nizhalgal Ravi, Abishek Shankar, Sri Krishna Dayal and Gouri Nair, among others.
According to the streaming platform, the two-hour long thriller film follows a playschool teacher Naina, who takes 16 students as hostage. “Rattling the police and the leaders, her demands send shockwaves through the country,” reads the plot of the film that features actor Yami Gautam Dhar in the lead.
This investigative thriller series, starring Vimal in his OTT debut, is directed by Prashanth Pandiraj. Speaking to us earlier, the director mentioned that Vimal plays a cop in a police station set in contemporary times, amidst a rural backdrop, in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. The director added that the title, which means both animal and handcuffs in Tamil, will have a significant connection to the story. Vilangu will have seven episodes, each with a running time of 30-40 minutes. Other cast members include Munishkanth, Bala Saravanan, and late RNR Manohar as police officials, and actor Ineya.
After its theatrical release on Diwali 2021, Enemy is set to make its digital premiere now, nearly three and half months later. The film stars Arya and Vishal and is about “two childhood friends” who end up on “opposite extremes of morality,” and come together for a face off. The film is directed by Anand Shankar and marks the second collaboration of the two actors afterAvan Ivan.
Headlined by Shruti Haasan, Bestseller is an eight-episode psychological thriller. It also features Mithun Chakraborty, Arjan Bajwa, Gauahar Khan, Satyajeet Dubey, and Sonalee Kulkarni, among others. It is directed by Mukul Abhyankar and written by Anvita Dutt and Althea Kaushal. The synopsis from the streaming platform reads, “When the lives of two strangers suddenly collide, their hidden motivations and ambitions surface and create a domino effect on many lives.”
Directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, and featuring actors Pranav Mohanlal, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Darshana Rajendran, in the lead roles, Hridayam is a coming-of-age drama. It revolves around Arun Neelakandan (Pranav) and follows him from his late teens until his late twenties, as he matures through the various stages of his life. “It looks at his friendships and romantic relationships, his brief descent into anarchy, his transformation into a family man and a successful commercial photographer,” according to Silverscreen India‘s review.
Following its theatrical opening on Sankrathi, Bangarraju is set to make its digital premiere now. Led by actor Nagarjuna and his son Naga Chaitanya, this Telugu film is directed by Kalyan Krishna, and is a sequel to the 2016 film Soggade Chinni Nayana. Besides the father-son duo, the film also features Krithi Shetty and Ramya Krishnan.
Eternally Confused and Eager for Love, the upcoming young-adult dramedy series starring Rahul Bose and Jim Sarbh, is set to premiere on Netflix on March 18.
Written, created, and directed by Rahul Nair, the series also features Vihaan Samat, Suchitra Pillai, Ankur Rathee and Dalai. The trailer for the series will be released on Friday.
The streaming giant describes the story as one that revolves around Ray (Samat), an awkward 24-year-old who is navigating adulthood and romance in the 21st century. He does this with the help of ‘Wiz’, a personification of his inner voice, who tells us what Ray cannot say out loud. In a quest to understand if he wants sex, love or a relationship, Ray goes through a series of work-life misadventures and indecisions, continually finding himself “eternally confused and eager for love.”
Eternally Confused and Eager for Love is produced by Zoya Akhtar’s Tiger Baby Films and Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment, and marks their first collaboration with Netflix. Kartik Shah is the creative producer for the series, while Ritesh Sidhwani, Reema Kagti, Kassim Jagmagia, Angad Dev Singh, and Zoya Parvin are on board as executive producers.
Sidhwani, co-founder of Excel Entertainment, refers to the series as a “labour of love.” He adds, “Rahul Nair has been able to capture the reality and hilarity of what most of today’s young people deal with – it also has a lot of heart, and marks the beginning of our association with Netflix.”
Kagti, filmmaker and co-founder of Tiger Baby, notes that the series is “very relevant” to present-day younger generations. “Eternally Confused and Eager for Love is a fresh take on the daily struggles of Ray, a young adult, as he navigates the complexities of love, relationships and sex in a post-modern world,” she adds.
Monika Shergill, VP of Content, Netflix India, says, “Eternally Confused and Eager for Love, as its unique name suggests, is a complex and hilarious exploration of the dating lives of young adults. Debutant writer and director Rahul Nair brings a distinctive voice to the series and has beautifully captured the day-to-day dilemmas of friendships, dating and relationships in these modern times. With this warm-hearted entertainer, we mark the beginning of our association with the powerhouse storytellers, Tiger Baby and Excel Entertainment.”
Irai, the upcoming Tamil series starring actor Sarath Kumar, is set to premiere on Aha Tamil on Friday. The series is part of the initial slate of Tamil releases on the streaming platform.
Irai is based on a novel named Birds of Prey, written by Archana Sarat, and it marks director Rajesh’s first series as well. Speaking to Silverscreen India, he reveals that adapting the book, which he calls “very raw and hard-hitting,” to the screen was quite tricky.
“The series discusses topics of child abuse and trafficking, something so sensitive but at the same time, something that families need to be aware of. The book merely describes this, but in visual media we have the liberty of showing it. However, visually portraying the abuse of a child is rather challenging. We need to take into account who will be watching the content. We have to show the trauma that the child goes through without crossing the line. It needs a fine balance,” he notes.
The screenplay for the series has been written by the director in collaboration with Manoj Kumar Kalaivanan and Rajesh Manjunath. “After acquiring the rights to the book, Radaan approached me with the idea of creating a series, sometime during February-March 2021. After that, we worked on the screenplay.”
In the series, Sarath Kumar plays a cop named Robert Vasudevan. “We were determined not to make Sarath sir look like any of the number of burly cop roles he has previously done. His character is also the father to a daughter. The series shows how he handles the child trafficking case, while also showing what the children go through in parallel,” says Rajesh.
The cast of Irai includes Nizhalgal Ravi, Abishek Shankar, Sri Krishna Dayal, Gouri Nair, Shrisha, Sriranjani Prabhu, Rethika Srinivasan, Vaanmadhi, Karuppu Nambiar, Ravindra Vijay, and Gokul Anand.
The series was shot in Kodaikanal in 2021 by cinematographer S Yuva, the director’s college-mate. It marks their first collaboration. Irai has music by Ghibran and is edited by San Lokesh.
Asked if there will be a second season of Irai, the filmmaker says that the makers are yet to decide on it. “It has the potential to go on with another season, but the team and platform has to take a call on that,” he adds.
Rajesh, who says he “comes from the school of Kamal Haasan,” having worked with Raaj Kamal Films International on various films, is thrilled to witness the current OTT boom. “In 2010-11, Kamal sir spoke about releasing Vishwaroopam via the Direct-to-Home (DTH) method. Now, this same DTH is being called OTT. After Covid-19, this medium’s reach has been astounding.”
The filmmaker notes that when making content for OTT platforms, one can do away with certain elements that are needed to cater to the mainstream audience in films made for the big screen. He adds that he was thus very keen to make content for this new medium.
Rajesh also refers to OTT as a “technician’s medium,” and cites the example of Sarpatta Parambarai that premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2021. “At the same time, the theatrical experience is something that cannot be matched. I want to parallelly work in both these spaces.”
Rajesh reveals that he has brought together a team of young writers to create a “den” and a bank of content. “This is very exciting for me. We have formed this team of writers as content is the king now. I am also working on multiple scripts,” he says, before signing off.
Bloody Mary, the upcoming Telugu film starring actor Nivetha Pethuraj, is a survival thriller, director Chandoo Mondeti tells Silverscreen India.
The actor, who was last seen in the Tamil film Pon Manickavel, recently announced on social media that Bloody Mary will premiere soon on Aha. The film marks her OTT debut.
Speaking about the film, Mondeti says, “Bloody Mary is about a girl named Mary (played by Nivetha), her backstory, the situations she faces and how she reacts to every problem. It is not a horror film. Every person has a grey shade within them and they show it, when the situation calls for it. Mary also exhibits this shade of character. There is no specific antagonist in the film.”
Bloody Mary is produced by TG Vishwa Prasad of the People Media Factory banner. Apart from Nivetha, the cast also includes actors Ajay and Brahmaji.
The story has been penned by Mondeti’s associate, Prasanth Kumar Dimmala. Calling Bloody Mary, a “quickie,” Mondeti tells us that the film was shot by cinematographer Karthik Gattamneni within a span of about a month in early 2021, after the second wave of Covid-19. Locations included Hyderabad, Vizag, Mumbai, and Pune.
Edited by Viplav Nyshadam, Bloody Mary has a runtime of 105 minutes, the director adds. The premiere date of the film has not been announced yet.
Meanwhile, Mondeti is also working on the sequel to his directorial debut, Karthikeya. Titled Karthikeya 2, it will again feature actors Nikhil Siddharth and Swati Reddy, who appeared in the first instalment. The sequel will additionally star actors Anupama Parameswaran and Anupam Kher.
“The first film was about god and science and this one will be about Lord Krishna. However, this will not be a mythological film. It will be about how events that have unfolded in the past are related to the current scenario,” says Mondeti.
“We still have five days of shooting left, four days in Greece and one in Rann of Kutch. There is also a lot of VFX work to be incorporated, and it will take about three months for the film to be completed,” he adds.
Popular television show Friends, which was re-released on Chinese streaming platforms last week, has been censored to remove references to LGBTQIA+ relationships.
Fans of the sitcom took to Chinese social media platforms and expressed their disapproval after noticing certain scenes missing, including those that refer to a lesbian character and one featuring a same-sex kiss.
Initially, the show was streamed uncensored in China by Sohu from 2012 to 2018.
However, when it was re-released on February 11, this year, on platforms like Tencent, Bilibili, iQiyi and Alibaba’s Youku and Sohu, parts of the show were edited. For instance, in the first episode, the conversations regarding Ross’ ex-wife, Carol Willick, who divorces him after realising she is a lesbian, were deleted.
Other explicit sexual references were also subject to censorship. In one scene, incorrect subtitles were used to achieve this. The phrase “multiple orgasms” was translated to the Chinese phrase for “women have endless gossips.”
Fans of the show took to Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, to protest against the censorship, and used the hashtag ‘FriendsCensored’ to create awareness on the matter.
“If you can’t show the complete version under the current atmosphere, then don’t import it,” wrote one user.
According to CNNreport, another Weibo user said, “Not only does it [the modification of the ‘multiple orgasms’ line] ignore women’s sexual desire and enjoyment, but it also reinforces the gender stereotype of women.” Others pointed out that keeping the original line and changing only the Chinese subtitle, was an insult to their English language ability.
While China decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, the LGBTQIA+ community is still subject to much discrimination in the country. Further, the increased cultural censorship in China since current President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, was eventually extended to LGBTQIA+ references in media. In 2016, China issued a set of guidelines which banned depictions of gay people on television, classifying them as “vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content.”
As a result, popular shows like Addicted were pulled from broadcast on the grounds that they showed “abnormal sexual relationships.”
In 2021, Friends: The Reunion special also faced censorship, when Chinese platforms edited out parts that featured BTS, Lady Gaga, and Justin Bieber, as well as redacted LGBTQ+ references and a shot of actor Matt LeBlanc in his underwear.
Aside from censoring content that does not align with the country’s ideologies, China’s strict regulation of the entertainment sector also includes preventing or delaying the release of Hollywood films, and imposing curbs on Chinese celebrities’ social media footprints in a bid to preserve mainstream values.
Recently, China had also altered the ending scene of the 1999 film FightClub, which was released on Tencent Video. While this scene was later restored following social media backlash, the latest version still omits a scene featuring nudity.
Following the decline in openings, films have gradually started to release in theatres, as states have either reopened cinema halls or have given leeway for a full seating capacity.
Introduced as a domestic noir since its first announcement, Gehraiyaan deals with the theme of infidelity and its subsequent impact on relationships in modern, contemporary Indian society.
Amazon Prime Video’s synopsis reads, “Alisha Khanna, 30, ambitious, now finds herself at a crossroads in life. Her six year-long relationship has grown monotonous, her career seems to be going nowhere. But just when she had begun to accept this reality as unchangeable, her life is usurped by the arrival of her cousin, Tia and her fiance, Zain, with whom she bonds over a troubled past and a common wish to break from its confines.”
For Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India, the film “becomes a boring parody of a modern relationship drama.”
She adds, “Batra doesn’t hold the moments, a disastrous directorial choice. He cruises through the scenes impatiently, trying to win over the viewer through a repartee or a dreary statement about life.”
Anupama Chopra of Film Companion writes “Shakun dials down the emotion and humour so drastically that the film becomes a victim of what I call ‘Death by Minimalism’, which is compounded by what I call ‘Posh People Angst’.”
She adds, “Visuals of a swanky yoga studio, luxurious hotel rooms or lines about getting goat cheese instead of burrata don’t aid our empathy.”
Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost, calls the film a “page-turner.” She mentions, “Gehraiyaan is not constructed like a conventional thriller, but the events in the storyline press forward with an urgency that makes it impossible to look away.”
According to Amazon Prime Video’s synopsis, “Mahaan follows the turbulent journey of a middle-aged simple man, who later becomes a pride billionaire, followed by unexpected haywire challenges he starts to face soon after.”
Nithya Gnanapandithan of Silverscreen India, calls the film overstuffed.
“Did we really need such long montages of Vikram drinking, partying and rolling in money? It’s not just unnecessary but also done to death. Did we really need that minor villain in the middle just for a ‘mass’ fight scene?” she adds and attributes all of it to bad writing, which also extends to the screenplay.
For Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion, while the film flows because of good editing, it lacks emotional depth.
The best thing, according to Rangan, that Subbaraj has done “is write a great part for an actor who doesn’t often get great parts.” He refers to Mahaan as Vikram’s comeback film.
Rangan further notes the shift in Subbaraj’s filmmaking career, who now moves from his earlier formula-laden films to ideology-driven films.
According to Ashameera Aiyappan of Firstpost, “The film reduces pacifist Gandhian philosophy to mere alcohol prohibition, which is incredibly reductionist.”
She also notes that even though the film employs certain interesting writing devices, “the cyclical dynamics of interpersonal equations” and the “emotional equations aren’t fleshed well”, also reflecting in the performances.
For both Gnanapandithan and Aiyappan, Sananth and Simha’s characters bring more conviction to the story than Vikram or Dhruv Vikram’s.
The M Manikandan-directorial translates to “the last farmer”, and revolves around the character of Maayandi, who has a hearing impairment.
The story follows the aftermath of a lightning strike that burns down an ancient tree. This leads the village folk to decide to host a kovil thiruvizha (temple festival) and pray to their kula saami (ancestral god) to uplift the ‘perceived curse.’ An important part of this festival is the offering of new grain grown specifically for the purpose. Maayandi being the only farmer left in the village, with everyone else having sold their land and moved on to other means of living, it falls on him to cultivate his small plot of land.
Nithya Gnanapandithan of Silverscreen India, notes that the film reflects Manikandan’s disapproval of the use of hybrid seeds and chemical pesticides, with an inclination towards old-school farming methods.
She adds, “almost all of these views are woven very organically into the narrative. For instance, the preparations for the festival make the younger people in the village realise how little they know about the old ways – not just farming but traditional art like pottery too is dying out, the film shows us.”
Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion writes that, unlike regular mainstream films, Kadaisi Vivasayi tries to unite us with the universe.
“He does not sentimentalise this story. There is no “ayyopavam” business. We feel the film because Manikandan lets the emotions build slowly naturally and enter us like air – not because the background score is wailing with a hundred strings,” he adds.
Ashameera Aiyappan of Firstpost reflects similar sentiments as that of Rangan’s, and writes, “There is no aha moment that the Tamil mainstream cinema always runs towards. The film is held together by its subtext and footnotes. This makes the experience more atmospheric, and therefore, not everyone’s cup of tea.”
Both Rangan and Aiyappan additionally credited Santhosh Narayanan‘s score.
According to IMDb, “Shardul Thakur and Suman Singh enter into a marriage of convenience but chaos ensues when her girlfriend comes to stay with them.”
Anupama Chopra, of Film Companion, writes that the film is indecisive for the most part, and only finds its footing in the last twenty minutes or so when circumstances force Suman and Shardul to shed their camouflage of a happy, heterosexual couple. Prior to this, the film resorts to humour to make a tricky subject like this, more accessible.
For Prathyush Parasuraman of Firstpost, the introduction sequences of Pednekar’s and Rao’s characters falling in love, stand out.
“It’s a subversion of not just the romance genre, where dirt and disgust are preferred outside the purview of love, but also a subversion of the queer genre of storytelling that is comfortably, comfortingly sanitised.”
However, despite its reviews, the film failed to make a dent at the box office. It collected around Rs 1.75 crore on its first day. The low numbers could attribute to the lack of night shows in most cities and Covid-19 protocols still in place, in several parts of the country.
Vilangu, the upcoming Tamil web series, starring actor Vimal, is an investigative thriller, director Prashanth Pandiraj tells Silverscreen India. It is set to premiere on February 18 on Zee5.
The trailer was recently released by actor Sivakarthikeyan. Vilangu marks the OTT debut of the actor and will be backed by Madan, under the Escape Artists Motion Pictures banner.
Pandiraj, who had earlier helmed GV Prakash Kumar‘s Bruce Lee, says, “Vimal plays a cop, at a police station set in contemporary times, amidst a rural backdrop, in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. It will explore the everyday lives of cops, how they navigate through their jobs without the use of advanced technology to solve crimes. It has been filmed with a realistic approach, as much as possible. There are murder mysteries, jewellery theft cases, and several other issues probed by the cops, throughout the series.”
The filmmaker said that Vilangu will have seven episodes, each with a running time of 30-40 minutes. While Dinesh Kumar Purushothaman is the cinematographer, the editing is done by Ganesh. The show’s soundtrack is composed by Ajeesh.
Apart from Vimal, the film will also feature actors Munishkanth, Bala Saravanan, and late RNR Manohar as police officials, while Ineya essays the role of Vimal’s wife. Pandiraj says that Vimal was cast to break away from the stereotype that portrays police officials as well-built.
“Most parts of the story will be set inside the police station. Vilangu typically means handcuffs or animal in Tamil, and the story will have a connection to both these elements,” he adds.
The director, who had also written the script of the series in 2020, said that he pitched it to the producers as a film. However, they suggested that it would work better as a series, owing to its vast content, notes Pandiraj.
“I have friends from the police department, who widely contributed to research for this script. We began shooting for Vilangu in March 2021, and completed it in the later half of the year, in Trichy. Depending on the success of this season, we may roll out consecutive installments. But the first season will help me shape the premise of the storylines and characters,” he mentions.
Aha Tamil has bagged the post-theatrical streaming rights of actor Karthi’s upcoming film Sardar and its slate includes the web series Pettakkali, which has filmmaker Vetri Maaran attached as showrunner and is based on jallikattu, among many other films and shows. Sardar is directed by PS Mithran, and Allu Arvind said, on Friday, that it is one of the big films coming to Aha.
The OTT platform has also bagged the post-theatrical rights of Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal, which was released in theatres in January. The hyperlink film features an ensemble star cast comprising of Ashok Selvan, Nasser, KS Ravikumar, Riythvika, Manikandan and Bhanupriya, among others.
Aha which, so far, has been rolling out content only in Telugu, was founded by veteran Telugu producer-distributor Allu Aravind in February 2020. It boasts a catalogue that includes acclaimed films like Love Story and Senapathi, and the talk show Unstoppable with NBK, hosted by Nandamuri Balakrishna.
Aha will also be premiering Irai, the OTT debut of Radikaa Sarathkumar’s banner Radaan Mediaworks. The crime thriller series stars Sarathkumar and is directed by Rajesh M Selva. It will premiere on the platform on Friday, February 18.
Aha Tamil will also host a reboot of the late 90s and early 2000s television series Ramany Vs Ramany, titled Ramany Vs Ramany 3.0. The family drama series will retain actor Ramji in the lead role as Mr Ramany, while Vasuki Anand will play Mrs Ramany. Ponni Suresh will essay their daughter Ragini and Param Guhanesh, their son Ram. The series will be directed by Naga and produced by Kavithalayaa, whose TV division, Minbimbangal, produced the original show.
Another show premiering on Aha Tamil is Mad Company, which has director Balaji Mohan on board as the creative producer. Written and directed by debutant Vignesh Vijaykumar, a former associate of Balaji, it is touted as an urban comedy-drama, starring actors Prasanna, SPB Charan, Dhanya Balakrishna, Kaniha, and Suresh Chakravarthy. The shooting for this series was recently completed.
When announcing that the web series Pettakkali, directed by La Rajkumar and produced by Vetri Maaran, will be part of Aha Tamil’s line-up, Allu Arvind noted that though big directors generally hesitate to do OTT projects, Vetri Maaran came on board without any hesitation. “When we approached him, our intention was to make a series that is very native to Tamil culture,” he added.
Calling this OTT boom period a “golden era” for writers, Vetri Maaran said, “Filmmaking will always be there, but the medium will change. While there will be directors who continue to make films for theatres, other filmmakers will have liberty to explore various genres and express themselves on other platforms with fewer limitations.”
The filmmaker added that director Rajkumar researched about jallikattu for two years and first made a documentary, which he then turned into a series.
Actor Madhuri Dixit Nene is all set to make her OTT debut with the upcoming Netflix series The Fame Game. Talking about her character Anamika Anand, a global superstar, Dixit mentioned how widely different her own life was in comparison, during the show’s trailer launch on Thursday.
The Fame Game is a mystery series, directed by Bejoy Nambiar and Karishma Kohli. Previously titled Finding Anamika, it premieres on February 25.
The series revolves around Anand, “the queen of hearts,” who is not just a Bollywood superstar but also a mother, a wife, and a daughter who suddenly disappears. The investigation, which begins with “Where is Anamika Anand,” turns into “Who is Anamika Anand,” and uncovers the messy truth behind her seemingly picture-perfect life and family.
Dixit said the intriguing script drew her to the project. “It was a challenging script for me because the role is such that there are so many shades to her,” the actor said.
She added, “I loved the script, loved her journey. It is about fame; what follies and complications can happen when there is fame in your life. It is a story about this woman, whose life is seemingly very perfect, till she disappears one day and everyone is wondering, ‘What happened to her, where is she?’ Then, the ‘Where is she?’ changes to ‘Who is she?’ Do people know who she is, does she know herself? Because they have all seen her on screen, larger than life, leading a perfect life with her husband and kids, well placed in her profession. So what happened to her? I thought it was intriguing. That really fascinated me.”
Dixit noted that she, personally, has had a good life and been fortunate enough to have received the opportunities to work with “such good directors, costars and good people.”
The actor went on to express her gratitude for the experiences she has been blessed with, the support she has received from her parents in contrast to the experiences of her character, Anamika Anand.
Photo Source: Netflix
Apart from the fame of Bollywood and the mystery, the series also looks into relationships, family and “how fame can twist and make the best of things look bad.”
Sri Rao, the showrunner and writer of the series, mentioned that a unique thing about The Fame Game is it “ultimately comes back to the story of one family.”
“Although, the backdrop of the story is really glamorous and set against the world of Bollywood, with this iconic actress at the centre of it, played by the equally iconic Madhuri Dixit, at its core, it is a very relatable story about a family. It’s about a husband, the children, and the relationship between them. You can see this in all these characters, even though they are portrayed as larger than life,” Rao said.
With the number of Covid-19 cases dwindling, several states haveeased the restrictions imposed on the functioning of cinema halls.
In Karnataka, theatres have been operating at full capacity, from February 5. Earlier, with the closure of theatres in some districts in Kerala, many releases of Malayalam films had been postponed. Presently, after theatres have reopened several films including, Aaraattu, Veyil and Naaradhan have rescheduled their release dates.
On the other hand, theatres and cinema halls in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh continue to operate at a 50% capacity. A line-up of much-awaited Tamil and Telugu films include the Ajith Kumar-starrer Valimai on February 24, RRRand Don on March 25, and Acharyaon April 29.
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 films streaming online this week.
The upcoming Tamil film starring actor Vikram alongside his son Dhruv Vikram is written and directed by filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj. Mahaan is Vikram’s 60th film. It also features actors Simran and Bobby Simha in pivotal roles. According to the streaming platform, “Mahaan follows the turbulent journey of a middle-aged simple man, who later becomes a pride billionaire, followed by unexpected haywire challenges he starts to face soon after.”
Filmmaker Shakun Batra’s directorial stars Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi, and Dhairya Karwa. According to a press release, Gehraiyaan is a relationship drama that looks beneath the surface of complex modern relationships, adulting, letting go, and taking control of one’s life path. Speaking at the trailer launch, Padukone said that her character is much more “raw and realistic” than most other roles she has played in the past.
The upcoming Malayalam anthology presented by filmmaker Jeo Baby, is a collection of five short films about freedom directed by five filmmakers, including Baby. It features actors Joju George, Rohini, Rajisha Vijayan, Srindaa, Unni Lalu and Sidhartha Siva in the lead roles. In an earlier conversation with Silverscreen India, Baby said that although the theme was not planned, all five stories coincidently dealt with the concept of freedom and hence, they decided to name the film Freedom Fight.
Actor Priyamani will be seen essaying the lead role in this upcoming Telugu dark comedy thriller film. Bhamakalapam marks the directorial debut of filmmaker Abhimanyu. Earlier, speaking to Silverscreen India, he said that the film is about “a nosy housewife (Priyamani), who gets into trouble due to her character and how she overcomes it. Most of the story happens within an apartment complex in Hyderabad, with several characters.”
Created by Shondaland, Inventing Anna stars Emmy Award-Winning actress, Julia Garner. According to the streaming platform, the film’s synopsis reads, “Audacious entrepreneur or con artist? A reporter digs into how Anna Delvey convinced New York’s elite she was a German heiress. Based on a true story.”
It is the sequel to the 2019 romantic comedy film Tall Girl. According to Netflix, the film’s description reads, “Landing the lead in the school musical is a dream come true for Jodi (Ava Michelle), until the pressure sends her confidence – and her relationship – into a tailspin.”
The Korean language series is a coming-of-age romantic drama. The series’ synopsis on Netflix reads, “In a time when dreams seem out of reach, a teen fencer pursues big ambitions and meets a hardworking young man who seeks to rebuild his life.”
Freedom Fight, the upcoming Malayalam anthology presented by filmmaker Jeo Baby, is set to release on SonyLIV on Friday. The director reveals that the anthology’s theme was a happy coincidence.
Produced by the makers of The Great Indian Kitchen, also directed by Jeo Baby, the anthology is a collection of five short films about freedom by directors Kunjila Mascillamani, Jeo Baby, Akhil Anilkumar, Jithin Issac Thomas, and Francies Louis.
In conversation with Silverscreen India, Jeo Baby explains how the project was conceptualised. “Last year, during the pandemic, shooting feature films became difficult given the restrictions and the safety aspect. That’s when I got the idea to make an anthology, which could be shot with a smaller cast and crew in different places.”
After finalising his story, the filmmaker was on the look out for four more stories. Initially, the aim was only to bring out five good stories. At the time, there was no plan to make an anthology based on the theme of freedom and the title was also not fixed.
“I found four potential directors and asked them to come up with their best stories in any theme or genre. When we read the screenplays of the films, we realised that all these stories coincidently dealt with the concept of freedom. So, we decided to name the film Freedom Fight. The anthology will be relatable to all audiences,” Baby adds.
Noting that all five films are set in different genres, like drama, revolutionary film and satire, Baby mentions that he was not previously acquainted with the other directors, except for Francies Louis. Further, Freedom Fight will mark the directorial debuts of most of them.
Baby reveals that his segment will be a family drama, featuring Joju George and Rohini.
All five shorts were filmed between August and October 2021. Locations included Kottayam, Ernakulam and Kozhikode.
The filmmaker says that due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, they opted for a direct OTT release and the SonyLIV platform was interested in picking up Freedom Fight. “In the last two years, OTT platforms have been a boon to the industry. Films like The Great Indian Kitchen were able to reach a wider audience across boundaries because of streaming platforms,” Baby notes.
Writing with Fire, the Indian documentary film that revolves around a team of reporters who launch India’s sole Dalit women-run newspaper in a media landscape dominated by men, has been nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category at the Oscars 2022.
Writing with Fire competed with a total of 137 films to earn its place in the final nomination list. The documentary film is written, directed, and produced by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh and had won two awards at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.
Photo Credit- Writing with Fire https://www.tfiny.org/films/detail/writing_with_fire
The Academy of Motion Picture, Arts, and Sciences on Tuesday announced the nominations in 23 categories for the 2022 Oscars. Emmy-winning actor and comedian Leslie Jordan, and Emmy-nominated actor-CEO-producer Tracee Ellis Ross made the announcement.
Netflix‘s The Power of the Dog led with nods in 12 categories, including Best Picture. Other contenders in the Best Picture category, include, Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, and West Side Story.
While Benedict Cumberbatch is nominated in the Leading Actor (Male) category for The Power of the Dog, co-actors Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Kirsten Dunst received nods in the supporting actor categories. Ari Wegner, the film’s director of photography, became the second woman to be nominated in the Best Cinematography category.
Photo Caption: The Power of the Dog poster; Credit: IMDb
The Power of the Dog‘s director Jane Campion meanwhile received a nod in the Best Director category, making her the first woman to be nominated twice in the category at the Oscars. This year she has been nominated alongside Kenneth Branagh (Belfast), Steven Spielberg (West Side Story), Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza), and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car). Hamaguchi became the third Japanese director to get an Oscar nomination in the category, following Hiroshi Teshigahara and Akira Kurosawa.
Kristen Stewart might have been left out by both Screen Actor Guild and the British Academy of Film Awards, but the Academy nominated her in the Lead Actor category (Female) for her performance as Princess Diana in Pablo Larrain’s Spencer. She received the nod alongside Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos), Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter), and Jessica Chastain (In the Eyes of Tammy Faye), and Penelope Cruz (Parallel Mothers).
Credits: Neon
The International Feature Film category saw Japan’s Drive My Car, Denmark’s Flee, Italy’s The Hand of God, Bhutan’s Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, and Norway’s The Worst Person in the World, make it to the final nomination list.
The technical categories witnessed a few firsts this time. Singer and songwriter Billie Eilish earned her first-ever Oscar nomination for her song No Time to Die from the 25th James Bond film by the same name.
Disney’s Cruella, starring Emma Stone, received nods in two categories, namely, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Costume Design. Raya and the Last Dragon, Luca, and Encanto are nominated in the Animated Feature Film category, alongside Flee and The Mitchells vs the Machines. Flee also made history on Tuesday by becoming the first animated documentary to be nominated in the Best International Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best Animated Feature categories.
Photo Caption (L-R): Ariana DeBose, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, and Aunjanue Ellis [cropped and resized; Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Ariana DeBose, of West Side Story, earned her first Oscar nomination, alongside Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard). Meanwhile Will Smith and multiple Oscar-nominee Denzel Washington received nods in the Leading Actor category for their respective performances in King Richard and The Tragedy of Macbeth. Smith saw a nommination at the Oscars after 15 years. Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz made the cut for their respective works in Being the Ricardos and Parallel Mothers.
Troy Katsur, of CODA, meanwhile became the second actor, and the first man, from the deaf community to get a nomination in the Supporting Actor (Male) category.
The 94th edition of the Oscar Awards will be held on March 27, and will be broadcast on ABC channel.
After the Indian film industry experienced a slump in film openings, there have been several online releases, or their makers have announced new dates for release. Films like Gehraiyaan and Mahaan, for example, are all set to stream directly on Amazon Prime Video. Subsequently, other big-budget films such as RRR, Valimai, and Radhe Shyam, among others, have postponed their releases.
Recently, the Karnataka government has allowed for cinema halls and theatres to function at a full capacity.
Silverscreen India brings to you a compilation of reviews of films, which have had both theatrical and online releases:
The film revolves around Savi (Taapsee Pannu), an athlete, whose promising career abruptly ended, due to an accident. At the beginning of the film, she finds herself in a situation where she has to race against time to save the life of her boyfriend Satya (Tahir Raj Bhasin).
Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India, calls the film unique, but says that it strays more than it should.
“Savi, who has just fifty minutes in hand, runs across Goa, refusing to look for vehicular transportation. On the way, she must untangle problems that she is indirectly connected to. While one can understand Bhatia’s decision to situate his film away from the sense of urgency and building of tension Run Lola Run was founded on, an excess of narrative elements undoes the film altogether,” she writes.
For Anupama Chopra, of Film Companion, Looop Lapeta struggles to achieve the same buoyancy as Run Lola Run, which she calls “a shot of movie-adrenalin.”
“Mostly because Aakash and co-writers Vinay Chhawal, Ketan Pedgaonkar and Arnav Vepa Nanduri add too much to it, starting with a backstory for Savi,” mentions Chopra. She added that the writing further failed to match the wit or inventiveness of the visuals.
For Anna MM Vetticad, of Firstpost, Looop Lapeta is as as much an intelligent adaptation as it is a remake of a cult film.
Both Gopalakrishnan and Vetticad also pointed out the parallel that the film drew with Hindu mythology, and called it a clever theme to bridge the gap between the German film and India.
For its mixed review, Looop Lapeta has a fairly low IMDb rating of 5.1.
Calling the film an “emotional action thriller,” the filmmaker, in an earlier conversation with Silverscreen India, said that Vishal plays the role of an aspiring police officer in it. “The film centres around an incident that affects the protagonist, who is a simpleton. It is about his journey. Vishal plays a person awaiting his results after writing the exam to be a police official,” he mentioned.
For Ashameera Aiyappan, of Firstpost, even though the film asks a relevant question and tries to do something new, it does not let go of its dated cliches. Aiyappan uses examples to reiterate this notion;
Despite the film being about the common man, Vishal’s character is hyped up. “So the premise of a ‘common man’ fighting back feels like a farce. The actual common people in this film, only seem to be waiting for the Hero’s arrival,” she writes.
Secondly, while on one hand, the women in the film prove to be significant to the narrative, the critic points out instances of sexualising the same women (in this case, Hayathi), so as to appease the hero.
Srivatsan S, of The Hindu, writes, “…the film does not have a spine to hold your attention for three hours and comes across as a culmination of masala moments from previous films. And these “mass” moments aren’t new, aren’t effective or big enough.” He calls the writing awful and scattered.
For him, the portrayal of women in the film is rather ‘tokenistic’, and seem to be present “to accentuate the high points for the hero.”
However, contrary to the critics’ reviews, the film has an IMDb rating of 9.2.
American commentator and popular podcast host Joe Rogan has found himself in the centre of another controversy, as Spotify quietly removed several episodes of his show, after multiple videos of him using racial slurs surfaced on the internet.
The New York Times has reported that over 70 episodes of his show The Joe Rogan Experience have been removed by the audio streaming giant. All the episodes were recorded between 2009 and 2018. However, Spotify is yet to comment on whether the episodes were removed for Rogan’s usage of slurs.
The issue first came to light when singer India Arie posted a video clip on Instagram, showcasing the commentator using the ‘N-word’ in his show multiple times. In another video, Rogan is seen making racist comments about his time in a black neighbourhood in Philadelphia. He says, “We walked into Planet of the Apes. We walked into Africa, dude.”
Following the allegation, Joe Rogan took to his Instagram to apologise for his behaviour. He called it “the most regretful and shameful thing that I have ever had to talk about publicly.” He said, “There’s a video that is out that is a compilation of me saying the ‘N-word’. It’s a video that is made of clips that is taken out of context of me and 12 years of conversation of my podcast. It’s all smushed together and it looks fucking horrible even to me.”
He went on to say, “I never used it to be racist, because I’m not racist.”
According to a report by Variety, Spotify executives met with Joe Rogan to discuss the controversy and he suggested that they remove the episodes while he puts out an apology.
Singer India Arie also put out a post on Instagram saying that she was planning to pull her music and podcast from the streaming platform. She wrote, “I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons other than his Covid interviews. For me it’s also about his language around race.”
She is not the first artist to remove her content from Spotify because of Joe Rogan. Earlier, several musicians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell withdrew their music from Spotify, after the streaming platform refused to remove Joe Rogan’s podcast for spreading misinformation about Covid-19.
Following this mass exile of musicians, the audio streaming service announced that it will add a content advisory to any episode that discusses the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a report by Variety, the show will be a six-part series starring Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, an MI5 (British ecret Service) boss, who is sent to Slough House – a dumping ground for disgraced spies who have made devastating mistakes. The spies are now forced to spend the rest of their careers there in order to not cause any trouble.
Slow Horses is based on author Mike Herron’s novel of the same name and has been adapted from the first installment in the eight-part book series.
The series will follow Oldman’s character expecting close to nothing from his team of misfits until they find themselves embroiled in a dangerous plot.
Actor Jack Lowden has been roped in to portray a young agent who finds himself working in Slough House after botching a mission. The cast also includes actors Kristin Scott Thomas, Jonathan Pryce, Olivia Cooke, Chris Chung, Rosalind Eleazar, and Freddie Fox.
Slow Horses has been adapted for the screen by writer Will Smith who has penned episodes for hit TV shows like Veep and Avenue 5. James Hawes has directed all six episodes of the upcoming series. He previously directed episodes for Black Mirror,Snowpiercer, Penny Dreadful, and Raised by Wolves.
The upcoming show has been produced by See-Saw Films for Apple TV. Will Smith and Graham Yost have served as its executive producers alongside director James Hawes.
The first two episodes of Slow Horses will premiere on April 1 following which they will be released on a weekly basis.
Apart from Slow Horses, Apple TV Plus’ next big release is the anthology series Roar starring Australian actor Nicole Kidman. Adapted from author Cecilia Ahern’s book of short stories of the same name, the show will have its worldwide premiere on April 15.
Telugu film producer Dil Raju and filmmaker Harish Shankar‘s upcoming Telugu web series titled ATM will be a heist thriller set in Hyderabad, C Chandra Mohan, the director of the web series told Silverscreen India.
Besides backing the series, Harish has also written the story while Chandra Mohan has written the screenplay. The show, which marks Raju’s foray into the OTT space, will premiere on Zee5 Telugu.
Speaking to Silverscreen India about the series, Chandra Mohan said, “It is a crime thriller, about a heist that takes place in Hyderabad city in the present. Nowadays, when one talks about heists, everyone immediately thinks of Money Heist. But there are different types of heists and this is all I can say at this point of time.”
Chandra Mohan, who previously directed Radha (2017), will also be making his debut in the streaming space with ATM.
Speaking about working in the space, Chandra Mohan said “This space is more comfortable to show the natural or rather grey shades of each characters, and explore things deeply.”
He added, “Initially, Harish garu and I planned a project and it is still going on. In the meantime, during the lockdown in 2021, we got talking about this series. Raju also liked the script and later, the collaboration with Zee5 happened.”
The director said that the cast will be a mix of known and new faces. The makers had put out a casting call on social media, for various characters. “The series will have four main characters who will be protagonists. Since it is a web series and many will likely watch it, we are looking for artists from across industries,” Chandra Mohan said.
ATM will go on floors from March and will be shot completely in Hyderabad. The series will have seven episodes in its first season, with a runtime of about 35-40 minutes per episode. Subsequent seasons are also being planned, he added.
With even major films like Deepika Padukone’s Gehraiyaan, Maaran featuring Dhanush, and Vikram’s Mahaanheaded straight to streaming platforms this year, Silverscreen India brings you this list of seven OTT releases in the coming week.
Starring Taapsee Pannu and Tahir Raj Bhasin in the lead roles, this Hindi film is the official adaptation of the 1998 German film Run Lola Run. It is directed by Akash Bhatia and backed by Sony Pictures Films India, Ellipsis Entertainment, and Aayush Maheshwari.
Run Lola Run revolves around the titular Lola, who needs to collect 100,000 Deutschmarks within 20 minutes to save the life of her boyfriend. Taapsee will essay Lola’s character in this adaptation. Although the film was originally scheduled to hit theatres in October 2021, it will now premiere directly on Netflix.
A Kannada satirical comedy starring Danish Sait in the lead, this film revolves around an art and crafts teacher Gopi (Sait), who has to save the school on his very first day at work after it is taken hostage by four radical social media activists. Gopi is a character previously created by Sait for social media skits. Produced by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, wife of late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, along with Gurudatha Talwar under the PRK banner, the film is directed by Vamsidhar Bhogaraju. It also features Prakash Belawadi, Samyukta Hornad, Vineeth ‘Beep’ Kumar, and Sampath Maitreya.
This Hindi show is an adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s murder mystery novel, Six Suspects. Actors Richa Chadha and Pratik Gandhi will be seen essaying the roles of two investigating officers trying to solve a murder case in the series that features a host of actors. It is directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and produced by Ajay Devgn and Priti Vinay Sinha.
Gandhi had said during the trailer launch that his character and Richa’s are not part of the book. “They were specially written for the The Great Indian Murder. It was exciting for me because after reading the book, when I started reading the script, I was fascinated by how they took the story forward,” he added.
This series is the story of nuclear physicist Jehangir Bhabha, founding director of the Atomic Energy Establishment, who is known as the father of the Indian nuclear programme, and physicist Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, who is regarded as the father of the Indian space program. Rocket Boys features actors Jim Sarbh, Ishwak Singh, and Regina Cassandra.
This Tamil dark comedy revolves around a treasure hunt by a group of people on a mission to find an antique valuable statue belonging to the 10th century. The film is written and directed by Bala Aran and features Nishanth, Vijay Sathya, Balaji Rathinam, Chella, Viyan, Baskar, Joe Malloori, and Auto Chandran.
Love is Blind: Japan (February 8) – Netflix
This Japanese version of the original US series is a reality dating show that features singles seeking to get married. The individuals are allowed talk to each other but must engaged without seeing each other. The couples are only allowed to meet after their engagement. They then get to plan their marriage date.
Through My Window (February 4) – Netflix
This Spanish romantic comedy revolves around Raquel, a girl who has a crush on her neighbour Ares, whom she secretly watches but has never spoken to. The film is based Ariana Godoy’s novel of the same name.
Matinee is a multifaceted platform that acts as a bridge between film aspirants and established producers and directors in the film industry, says Shinoy Mathew, producer, actor and founding member of Matinee.
The platform offers OTT streaming and also provides a space for aspiring artists and technicians to showcase their work and portfolios. It was established in 2021 by Shinoy Mathew, along with renowned Malayalam producer and production controller NM Badusha. Matinee’s logo was revealed by actor Fahadh Faasil in March and the OTT site was launched by actor Prithviraj Sukumaran in June. So far, over 15,000 film aspirants, including actors, technicians, directors, and writers, among several others, have registered with the site.
In conversation with Silverscreen India, Mathew talks about Matinee’s beginnings, model of operation, current projects and future plans.
The conception of Matinee
“When I started out in the industry, I too struggled to find opportunities,” says Mathew, who was a banking professional before entering the field of cinema. His own struggles made him empathetic to the position of freshers in the industry and laid the foundation for Matinee.
Mathew eventually came up with the idea of creating Matinee in 2019, after he produced a Malayalam film called Lonappante Mamodeesa, starring actor Jayaram in the lead. Mathew and his team wanted to cast fresh faces in the film and the auditions they conducted for this cost them around Rs 2 lakhs. “That’s when I realised that other producers may also have such expenses every time they announce a casting call and conduct auditions.” He realised this could discourage filmmakers from casting new faces.
On the other hand, are all the talented film aspirants without access to filmmakers, says Mathew. “There are many talented individuals who are unaware of the right way to enter the film industry. Many of them give up due to improper guidance or after spending money unnecessarily. So, I thought that establishing an organised channel would benefit both artists as well as filmmakers.”
Soon after, Mathew pitched this idea to Badusha, the production controller for Lonappante Mamodeesa. “We decided to establish Matinee and our friendship grew from that point. Badusha has contacts with almost everyone in the Malayalam film industry and he has been very supportive in its development,” Mathew adds.
It is also worth noting that with the rise in fake online auditions, initiatives like Matinee can ensure a safe and secure space for film aspirants to find reliable opportunities.
“With Matinee, we hope to help budding artists safely enter the world of cinema,” says Mathew.
How it works
Film aspirants can register on Matinee’s website to avail a membership on a subscription basis. The site has various sections like acting, direction, script writing, camera, and poster design. “The individual can choose one or many categories and create a profile for themselves. They can add the links of their work and keep updating their profile. And if there are any casting calls or requirements for technicians routed through Matinee, we will scan through the profiles and connect the best-suited individuals with the concerned team,” says Mathew.
Another interesting aspect of Matinee is that they also have a provision for people to upload details of their personal properties, like cars, houses, or pets, that they are willing to loan out for shootings.
Additionally, the platform plans to organise workshops and set up audition spaces that can be accessed by filmmakers.
The platform is also conducting a programme called Director’s Hunt. Those interested in participating can submit their short films or other works and Matinee’s team will choose 30 directors, who will then go on to win several prizes.
“Out of the 30 directors, the top 10 will be given an opportunity to direct a web series that will be backed by Matinee and premiered on the OTT platform. In the next stage, one of the ten, will be given an opportunity to direct a feature film. In this way, we provide opportunities to talented and deserving newcomers,” Mathew adds.
Photo Source: Shinoy Mathew and Badusha NM; Mathew’s Instagram Profile
Ongoing projects and future plans
A few months after its launch, Matinee managed to cast around 20 actors for an upcoming Malayalam film titled Voice of Sathyanathan, starring Dileep. Mathew tells us the platform also aided newcomer Sanusha land the female lead role in the upcoming film Marathakam, backed by Anto Joseph.
In November, Team Matinee announced its maiden production Oru Bohemian Ganam by filmmaker Tom Emmatty. “Matinee will also be backing an upcoming film titled Vedikettu that will mark the directorial debuts of the writer duo, Bibin George and Vishnu Unnikrishnan. For both these projects, 90% of the cast will be newcomers, whom we will select from the profiles registered on Matinee,” says Mathew.
“We have been getting requests for potential artists from the Telugu industry as well,” he adds.
The OTT platform, meanwhile, is currently streaming short films and the interviews of filmmakers and artists. Matinee’s in-house projects and more original content will premiere of the streaming platform this year.
Mathew adds that the boom in the Malayalam film industry thanks to OTT platforms during the Covid-19 pandemic has given great scope to budding artists. He hopes that platforms such as Matinee will help introduce more and more talented new people to the world of cinema.
ABC, the US TV network, has suspended Whoopi Goldberg from hosting the show The View for two weeks, following the row over the actor’s comment on the Holocaust.
In a statement on Tuesday, ABC News President Kim Godwin said, “Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments. While Whoopi has apologised, I’ve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments. The entire ABC News organisation stands in solidarity with our Jewish colleagues, friends, family and communities.”
Goldberg received severe backlash for her comments on the Holocaust on The View. In the show that aired on Monday, while discussing the recent ban on the Holocaust-based graphic novel, Maus, by a US school district, she had stated that the mass persecution of Jewish people by the Nazis was not about race.
“If you’re going to do this, then let’s be truthful about it because the Holocaust isn’t about race,” she said, adding that it was about “man’s inhumanity to man.”
The actor further went on to say that both groups of people were white. Goldberg continued to reiterate this point, despite a co-host mentioning that the Nazis themselves looked at the Jews as a separate race.
Soon, the critically-acclaimed performer received criticism for her statements.
Jonathan Greenblatt, leader of the Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate organization, said on Twitter, “No Whoopi Goldberg, the Holocaust was about the Nazi’s systematic annihilation of the Jewish people – who they deemed to be an inferior race. They dehumanised them and used this racist propaganda to justify slaughtering 6 million Jews. Holocaust distortion is dangerous.”
Meghan McCain, a former co-host of The View, tweeted, “Antisemitism is a cancer and a poison that is increasingly excused in our culture and television – and permeates spaces that should shock us all.”
Amid growing criticism, Goldberg apologised on Monday, and wrote on Twitter, “On today’s show, I said, ‘The Holocaust is not about race but man’s inhumanity to man.’ I should have said it is about both.” She went on to quote Greenblatt’s tweet, and added, “I stand corrected.”
“The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never waiver. I am sorry for the hurt I have caused,” she further said.
The following day, Goldberg invited Greenblatt on the show to explain the politics of race that was inherent in the Holocaust.
However, netizens were unsatisfied with Goldberg’s apology, which they termed ‘tone-deaf’.
Photo Caption: Netizens on Twitter reacting to Whoopi Goldberg’s apology
Goldberg later appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and in an attempt to clarify her comment, said, “Being Black, when we talk about race, it’s a very different thing to me. As a Black person, I think of race as being something that I can see.”
The actor then went on to say, “The Nazis lied. It wasn’t (a racial issue). They had issues with ethnicity. Not with race because most of the Nazis were white people and most of the people they were attacking, were white people. So, to me, I am thinking, ‘How can you say it’s about race if you are fighting each other?'”
This caused further outrage and Goldberg had to apologise a second time on The View. Her suspension from the channel then followed.
Following the row over Joe Rogan’s anti-vaccination podcast, Spotify has announced that it will add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about Covid-19 and direct users to a portal dedicated to information on the coronavirus.
The audio streaming service faced much backlash after the American commentator uploaded an episode of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, that promoted anti-vaccine views on December 31.
On January 10, 270 doctors, scientists and healthcare professionals signed an open letter that requested Spotify to deal with the spread of Covid-19 misinformation by Rogan, during his conversation with virologist Dr Robert Malone.
“With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, The Joe Rogan Experience, which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence. Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy,” the letter read.
Subsequently, when the streaming service refused to remove the podcast, artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell took their music off the platform in protest.
Young was the first artist to call out Spotify and Rogan. “I want to let Spotify know immediately, today, that I want all my music off their platform. They can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” he said.
Mitchell followed suit and removed her music from Spotify as well. “Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue,” she said in a statement.
Several other artists and podcasters decided to boycott Spotify as well.
Harry and Meghan Markle, who had signed a deal with Spotify after their split from the British royal family, also voiced concerns about the consequences of Covid-19 misinformation on the platform.
In the wake of the controversy, Spotify’s stock took a hit and dropped by as much as 25%.
Following this, the company CEO Daniel Ek announced on Sunday that the platform will include an advisory on all Covid-19 related content. “This advisory will direct listeners to our dedicated COVID-19 Hub, a resource that provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources,” his statement read.
The advisory aims to combat misinformation and will be launched in countries around the world in the coming days, the statement added.
Subsequently, Rogan too pledged to “balance out the more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspective so we can find a better point of view.” In a video posted on Instagram, on Monday, he added, “I don’t want to just show the contrary opinion to what the narrative it, I want to show all kinds of opinions.”
He also agreed with Spotify’s decision to add the disclaimer.
