Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, the Indian filmmaking duo popularly known as Raj & DK, are set to collaborate with Netflix on an upcoming series titled Guns & Gulaabs.
The web series will be created and directed by Raj & DK, who rose to fame with the Amazon Prime showThe Family Man. The duo will also produce Guns & Gulaabs under their D2R Films Production banner.
Co-written by Suman Kumar and Sumit Arora along with Raj & DK, the “quirky” series is “inspired by the misfits of the world,” according to the official press release. “Guns & Gulaabs is a story that depicts love and innocence, set in a world of crime. The series is set to uniquely blend the romance of the 90s with a crime thriller while effortlessly lacing it in humour,” the statement read.
Speaking about the series and their collaboration with the streaming platform, Raj & DK said, “Netflix has always been a pioneering service offering constantly cutting edge content. We are especially thrilled to roll out this wicked genre mash with some of the finest cast and crew from our country.”
Tanya Bami, Netflix India’s Series Head, said, “Bringing their unique storytelling style to Netflix, Raj & DK blend romance, crime and the inimitable humour that’s signature to the duo, into Guns & Gulaabs which will captivate audiences in India and across the world.”
Raj & DK’s D2R Film Productions banner had previously partnered with Netflix for the indie Telugu film Cinema Bandi, which premiered on the platform in May 2021. Guns & Gulaabs will mark the duo’s first web series for Netflix.
Earlier, an exclusive report by PeepingMoon said that Dulquer Salmaan had been roped in to play one of the lead roles in Raj & DK’s web series for Netflix, alongside actors Rajkummar Rao and Adarsh Gourav. According to the report, Salmaan was brought on board as the replacement for Diljit Dosanjh, who was earlier cast in the role but backed out of the project due to date issues.
However, no official announcement regarding the cast has been made by the makers yet.
With Covid-19 cases still rising, the film industry has been experiencing a slump in film openings. The releases of big budget films like Radhe Shyam, and Acharya, have been postponed.
Some filmmakers are even opting for a direct premiere of their films on OTT platforms, including Vikram and Dhruv Vikram-starrer Mahaan, which will release on Amazon Prime Video.
Silverscreen India brings to you a compilation of reviews of films, which have had both theatrical and online releases.
Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran’s second directorial, Bro Daddy features Mohanlal in the lead role. It also stars Prithviraj and has an ensemble cast that includes Kalyani Priyadarshan, Meena, Lalu Alex, Murali Gopy, Kaniha, and Soubin. It is written by Sreejith N and Bibin Maliekal, who earlier told Silverscreen India that Bro Daddy is a “feel-good family-entertainer with casual fun elements.”
Sukumaran’s debut film Lucifer, also starred Mohanlal in the lead role.
Aswathy Gopalakrsihnan of Silverscreen India, writes that the film is centred around a non-issue. She calls it a “blunt comedy where the most laughable joke is the actors’ desperation to entertain the viewer.”
She adds that while both Sukumaran and Mohanlal fail to generate laughter, actor Lalu Alex is the only one to deliver an effective and level-headed performance, in the film.
Vishal Menon of Film Companion, writes that the film is “lightweight with an ad-film aesthetic that remains watchable even when there’s not a lot happening.”
For Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost, the film’s first half is funny with some interesting turns, and credits the humour to situational twists.
“What truly works in Bro Daddy is Mohanlal and Prithviraj’s chemistry and excellent comic timing. It is nice to see the two stars using their gift in a clean film sans aggressive masculinity. Together, they sustain Bro Daddy even when its storyline gets progressively thin,” she writes. Vetticad notes that Alex comes with the most substantial character graph.
While the title is borrowed from late Tamil writer, journalist, filmmaker, and activist, Jayakanthan’s 1970 novel of the same, the plot takes a different spin.
For Vishal Venkat of Film Companion, the film’s beginning and ending are obvious.
He adds that the film hardly tries to impress, and writes, “The film expects the audience to be familiar with the way it juggles multiple storylines so it doesn’t have to go the extra mile to do anything gimmicky (like the recent Kasada Thapara) to remind you of its cleverness.”
“The film was initially supposed to premiere in February but has been pushed to a later date, so as to avoid clashes with other releases. It is now expected to be out in March or April this year,” the source further said, adding that Saani Kaayidham will be released in three languages, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.
While an official announcement regarding the film’s release is yet to be made by the streaming platform or the makers, Selvaraghavan had recently reshared a Twitter post that said Saani Kaayidham will premiere digitally on Amazon Prime Video.
Selvaraghavan, who is also acting in the upcoming Vijay-starrer Beast, will mark his debut as an actor with Saani Kaayidham, which is produced by Screen Scene Media Entertainment.
This is the second film of director Arun Matheswaran, who recently made his debut with the Tamil action revenge drama Rocky. The filmmaker, who has also written the script of Saani Kaayidham, earlier told Silverscreen India that the Selvaraghavan-starrer will be a revenge crime drama as well, but set in a different time. The film’s shooting was completed in August.
With music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, Saani Kaayidham has been shot by cinematographer Yamini Yagnamurthy and edited by Nagooran Ramachandran.
Meanwhile, Keerthy, who was last seen in the Telugu filmGood Luck Sakhi, has several other projects in line, such as Sarkaru Vaari Paata, Bhola Shankar, and Dasara in Telugu, and the Malayalam film Vaashi.
On the other hand, following his collaboration with Selvaraghavan, director Arun is set to team up with the filmmaker-actor’s brother Dhanush for a project backed by TG Thyagarajan’s Sathya Jyothi Films. While the actor confirmed the film on social media, further details are yet to be announced.
A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the release of Why I killed Gandhi on any streaming platform, Live Lawreported. The film is set to release on the OTT platform, Limelight, on Sunday, Mahatma Gandhi’s 74th death anniversary.
The petition has been filed by one Sikarndar Behl, through advocate Anuj Bhandari. According to the petitioner, if the release and exhibition of the movie is not stopped, it would “irreparably tarnish the image” of Mahatma Gandhi and would cause “public unrest, hatred and disharmony.”
“The movie is aimed at creating communal disharmony, spreading hatred and disturbing peace,” the plea adds.
It states that the film’s trailer shows an attempt to blame Mahatma Gandhi for the partition of India and the atrocities against Hindus in Pakistan, and charges the film’s makers with attempting to justify the killing of Gandhi.
The plea further states that Why I killed Gandhi is going for a direct OTT release without being cleared by the CBFC. The petition thus also seeks proper regulation of all content being released on OTT platforms.
Recently, the All India Cine Workers’ Association wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding a ban on Why I killed Gandhi. In the letter, AICWA said the film “glorifies Nathuram Godse, the traitor, and killer of our father of nation, Mahatma Gandhi.”
Godse was the assassin of Gandhi. Following the Partition of India in September 1947, the Hindu nationalist Godse fired three bullets at Gandhi on January 30, 1948. A member of the Hindu Mahasabha, and former member of the right-wing extremist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Godse made several statements on his motives behind the assassination, which primarily amounted to his belief that Gandhi had sided too much with Muslims during the Partition.
The release of Why I Killed Gandhi is also being opposed by the Maharashtra wing of the Indian National Congress party. Last week, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole said that the party will not allow the release of the film in the state.
Georgian chess champion Nona Gaprindashvili, who suedNetflix in 2021 for false representation of her in the show The Queen’s Gambit, can proceed with her lawsuit as the streamer’s plea to dismiss it was rejected by a US court on Thursday.
The show runs parallel to Gaprindashvili’s life and is based on Walter Tevis’ novel of the same name. It follows the life of fictional American chess prodigy Elizabeth Harmon, played by actor Anya Taylor-Joy, and her journey to becoming a World champion, while tackling her issues with drugs and alcohol.
The suit in question was filed after a line from the series claimed that Gaprindashvili had never faced men. The scene describes Harmon and goes, “The only unusual thing about her, really, is her sex. And even that’s not unique in Russia. There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, but she’s the female world champion and has never faced men.”
The Georgian champion’s filing from 2021 calls this claim sexist and “manifestly false,” noting that by 1968, the year in which the last episode is set, Gaprindashvili had competed against at least 59 male chess players (28 of them simultaneously, in one game), including at least ten Grandmasters.
Further, it points out that the error was made despite Netflix hiring renowned chess players and experts, Gary Kasporav and Bruce Pandolfini, to work as consultants on the show.
Gaprindashvili is seeking $5 million as damages.
Netflix tried to brush the mention off as a minor inaccuracy that did not imply Gaprindashvili’s inferiority. The platform further argued that the show came with a disclaimer that it is entirely a work of fiction.
However, the court, on Thursday, observed that there was no precedent of defamation suits being disallowed because the wrongful portrayal of real persons happened in a fictional work. The series being a work of fiction would thus not shield Netflix from liability for defamation, the court added.
“Despite the presence of fiction surrounding the line, however, the court cannot ignore that the series does reference real people and events and most importantly, the line identifies a real person, the plaintiff, by name, references her real career, and then shows an actor sitting in the audience who resembles plaintiff,” Judge Virginia A Phillips wrote in her ruling.
The judge also noted that the line was “dismissive of the accomplishments central to the plaintiff’s (Gaprindashvili) reputation” and impacts her ongoing professional pursuits, owing to the show’s popularity, as it referenced her by her name.
The Queen’s Gambit, which released on October 23, 2020, hit a viewership record of 62 million views within 28 days of its release. After the show’s premiere, the book it is based on was featured on The New York Times best seller list, 37 years after its publication.
The trailer of One Cut Two Cut, the upcoming Kannada comedy-drama starring Danish Sait, was released on Thursday. The film is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on February 3 and Sait said it was like a “homecoming” for him to team up with the streaming platform and PRK Productions again.
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.
Speaking at the trailer launch event, Sait said it was an honour and privilege to be part of Puneeth’s cinematic vision. “Puneeth anna was keen on the distribution of films on platforms like Amazon Prime Video. We agreed that younger filmmakers should enjoy the process of making films versus running through the yard of first, second-day collections. It is a homecoming for me that we are back on Prime with the PRK banner.”
It is to be noted that One Cut Two Cut is Sait’s third film to premiere on the platform, after Humble Politician Nograj and French Biriyani. The latter was also produced by PRK.
One Cut Two Cut is a satirical comedy, which 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.
The film also features Prakash Belawadi, Samyukta Hornad, Vineeth ‘Beep’ Kumar, and Sampath Maitreya, in pivotal roles.
Gopi is a social media character that Sait had previously created. Talking about how they developed a film around this character, the comedian said, “When you do a 2-3 minute video, the emphasis is on punchlines, but when it comes to film, the journey is a lot longer. The credit goes to the director who looked at the bigger picture. We workshopped the character and looked at how affable he can be.”
Director Vamsidhar added, “Danish had come out with this interesting character Gopi a couple of years back and it got lots of love. When we were talking about this, we remembered how interesting people used to visit us back in our school days and taught us arts and crafts. We thought why not envision Gopi doing it, and that’s how it all started.”
The director also said their only aim was to make the audience laugh.
One Cut Two Cut is part of PRK’s three-film deal with Amazon Prime Video, the other two being Family Pack and Man of the Match.
To a question posed by Silverscreen India about Amazon’s plan for expanding its Kannada library, Manish Menghani, Head of Content Licensing, Amazon Prime Video India, said, “We are continuing our investments in Kannada and will talk about getting more films.”
Other Kannada films such as Ratnan Prapancha and Ikkat have also premiered on the platform in recent times.
With Covid-19 cases still rising, the film industry has been experiencing a slump in film openings. The releases of big budget films like Radhe Shyam, and Acharya, have been postponed. Some filmmakers are even opting for a direct premiere of their films on OTT platforms.
On that note, here is a list of seven upcoming releases on OTT platforms, this week.
1. All Of Us Are Dead (January 28) – Netflix
All of Us Are Dead, based on the Korean webtoon Now at Our School, revolves around a group of high school students, who are faced with an extreme crisis, when they get trapped in their school, while a zombie virus spreads like a wildfire.
In this stand-up special, comedian Kapil Sharma reminisces about his past, opens up about his family, his blunders on social media, and his love for music and theatre.
3. Ice Age: The Adventures of Buck Wild (January 28) – Disney+ Hotstar
Ice Age: The Adventures of Buck Wild follows the story of the thrill-seeking possum brothers Crash and Eddie, who crave for some distance from their older sister Ellie, as they set out to find a place of their own. They find themselves trapped in a massive cave underground and are rescued by the one-eyed, adventure-loving weasel, Buck Wild. Together, they must face the unruly dinosaurs who inhabit the Lost World.
Angry Birds: Summer Madness sees birds Red, Bomb, and Chuck, as tween birds at summer camp, under the questionable guidance of their counsellor Mighty Eagle. Explosive antics, improbable pranks, and crazy summertime adventures see the birds pushing boundaries and breaking all the rules, while fending off the brash Pigs, on the other side of the lake.
5. The Orbital Children Season 1 (January 28) – Netflix
The Orbital Childrenis set in the year 2045, when AI has advanced and anyone can travel to space. Children from Earth who are on a trip to space meet those born on the moon, at the Japanese-built Anshin space station. They try to survive, after an accident on the space station leaves them stranded.
6. Badava Rascal (January 28) – Voot Select
According to the official synopsis, Badava Rascal, starring Dhananjay and Amrutha Iyengar, tells the story of a small-town boy Shankar, who falls in love with a rich politician’s daughter Sangeetha. Despite the hardships, Shankar manages to crack MBA. However, a tragic incident separates him from Sangeetha, with his life taking a drastic turn.
7. Raising Dion Season 2 (February 2) – Netflix
Raising Dionfollows the story of a woman, who raises her son Dion, after the death of her husband. The drama of raising a son as a single mom is amplified, when Dion starts to manifest several magical, superhero-like abilities. Season 2 picks up two years after its first season, following Dion, as he continues honing his powers with the support of his mom.
Baahubali: Before The Beginning, Netflix‘s much-awaited prequel to the popular Baahubalifilm franchise, could be shelved, according to Variety. In 2018, the streaming platform had announced the web series, which was to be directed by Deva Katta and Praveen Sataru.
As per the Variety report, one season was shot by Katta in Hyderabad, costing around Rs 150 crores, and later sent to post-production. However, Netflix was not entirely happy with the finished product and considered bringing in other directors, including one who had helmed two previous projects for the OTT platform. Some cast changes reportedly had to be made as well.
While Arka Mediaworks, producers of the films and co-producers of the series, and Netflix both refused to comment, an unnamed source informed Variety that the streaming giant has been facing some challenges with the project for a while.
“The last two years with Covid were full of complexities and hurdles, which impacted productions, especially one of this scale,” said the source, adding that the streamer is “reevaluating the project to bring the best version of this story” to audiences.
In an earlier conversation with Silverscreen India, co-director Katta had spoken about the project and said, “The Baahubali series made a huge impact with its unique storytelling. This prequel promises to amp up the excitement of all the Baahubali fans. I am really honoured to be part of this project and be able to work with Rajamouli sir.”
The series was meant to mark the second online venture of the franchise. An animated series Baahubali: The Lost Legends premiered on Amazon Prime Video last year.
Originally made in Telugu, the 2015 super hit Baahubali: The Beginning was distributed in Hindi by Karan Johar‘s Dharma Productions. Its sequel Baahubali: The Conclusion was the first Telugu film to get a worldwide release in Hindi.
Actor Suriya, who also produces films under 2D Entertainment, revealed that the banner has more than 20 content ideas in the works in partnership with Amazon Prime Video, in an exclusive interview with Variety.
Suriya was last seen in the critically-acclaimed film Jai Bhim, which was backed by his home banner and premiered on the streaming platform in November 2021. The film, which is among the 276 films in contention for this year’s Oscars, was part of 2D’s four-film deal with Amazon Prime Video.
The actor told Variety that 2D’s relationship with Amazon will continue. “Right now, we see a lot more opportunities with Amazon,” he said, adding that this would include both films and series, and in the case of films, there will be direct-to-OTT releases as well as digital premieres on the platform post a theatrical release.
Confirming this, Manish Menghani, head of licensing at Prime Video India, said that the platform is also working with the banner to commission Amazon original films in addition to post-theatrical releases and direct-streaming titles.
Suriya noted that streaming services give space for films to do away with “certain commercial things” like stunt sequences. “We were able to give the kind of film that we really honestly wanted to give. We didn’t have to please a certain section of the audience. We didn’t have to tick all the boxes, basically,” he said.
He further added that Amazon has showed them how films can reach beyond borders and language barriers. Jai Bhim was the actor’s second film after Soorarai Pottru to opt for a direct-OTT release, at a time when mainstream actors were still holding fast for theatrical releases.
The upcoming titles from Suriya’s partnership with Amazon may not all feature the actor. “If there is a need, I would love to be a part of it [as an actor],” he said, adding that he wants to be the “showrunner” and be part of the entire process. He also revealed that plans are in the pipeline to introduce several writers to the streaming medium and “tap into the rich vein of literature that Tamil Nadu is famous for.”
Meanwhile, on the acting front, Suriya is awaiting the theatrical release of Etharkkum Thunindhavan, helmed by Pandiraj. Produced by Sun Pictures, the film will likely premiere after the current pandemic restrictions are lifted. The actor will next begin shooting for director Bala’s upcoming feature. Suriya’s line-up also includes Vetri Maaran’sVaadi Vaasal, an untitled film with Siva, and a second collaboration with Sudha Kongara after Soorarai Pottru.
The digital rights of Writer, the recently-released Tamil film starring director-actor Samuthirakani, has been bagged by Aha Tamil, a source confirmed to Silverscreen India.
The crime drama, which released in theatres on December 24, 2021, is expected arrive on the streaming platform by the end of January or early February, the source added. An official announcement on the same is yet to be made.
It is to be noted that Writer will be part of Aha’s first slate of Tamil content. The OTT platform which, so far, has been rolling out content only in Telugu, is set to soon venture into the Tamil market.
Founded by veteran Telugu producer-distributor Allu Aravind in February 2020, Aha boasts a catalogue that includes acclaimed films like Love Story and Senapathi, and the talk show Unstoppable with NBK, hosted by Nandamuri Balakrishna.
On the occasion of Pongal 2022, the streamer did a soft launch of its new Tamil wing and created social media handles for it as well. A source from the OTT platform, on condition of anonymity, said, “There is a team in Chennai, which has been working on launching the platform in Tamil. Aha Tamil will have content exclusively for the Tamil audience, along with originals. There might be a change in schedule due to the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is expected to be officially launched shortly.”
Writer is produced by filmmaker-producer Pa Ranjith under his Neelam Productions banner, along with Abhayanand Singh, Piiyush Singh, and Aditi Anand. Written and directed by debutant filmmaker Franklin Jacob, the film revolves around a helpless but good-hearted police station writer (played by Samuthirakani) and touches upon issues such as caste discrimination, illegal custody, and police brutality. The film, which was greeted with positive reviews upon release, also features actors Lizzie Antony, VJ Maheshwari, Kavitha Bharathi, and Iniya, among others.
“First of all, this character itself is a very big responsibility for any woman to play,” says Bengali actor Madhumita Sarcar on her role in the upcoming web series Uttoron, which is set to premiere on Hoichoi on Wednesday.
Uttoron traces the journey of a woman named Parna (Sarcar), who unknowingly falls into the trap of an MMS leak. “She hits rock bottom, and subsequently rises from her own ashes,” the actor adds.
Parna is a school teacher and a wife, and Sarcar says she represents all the women who have faced problems or been judged for something that was not their fault. “When I heard the story, I loved it right away. I just said, ‘Okay, I want to play this character,’ because she is not just good but also different.”
Inspired by Sukanta Gangapadhyay’s book Battala, the upcoming series is directed by Joydeep Mukherjee and it also features Rajdeep Gupta, Sawon Chakraborty, and Swastika Dutta.
Sarcar began her career with television serials such as Bojhena Se Bojhena, Kusum Dola, and Care Kori Na, where she played traditional, simple, middle-class girls who became obedient wives and ideal daughters-in-law. She later moved on to doing films like Love Aaj Kal Porshu, TangraBlues, and Chini, which allowed her to essay a variety of roles from an young passionate musician to a rebel daughter.
Parna is completely different from any role she has played before, the actor notes. However, Sarcar adds, there is a similarity to her television roles. “This girl is also from a very humble background, a typical middle-class family with integrity. But other than that, the entire thing was different.”
That said, she did not find this character very difficult to portray once she understood her essence. “It took a little effort initially to get to the feeling of the character and understand her mental process. The backstory helps with this. And once you understand the essence of the character, you just wait for the director’s instructions and perform,” she says.
Photo Source: Hoichoi
Even after spending over a decade in the industry, people still remember and adore Sarcar as Pakhi from her debut serial Bojhena Se Bojhena. But the actor wants that same recognition for each of her roles. “After watching any of my work, I want people to know me and want to know me for ‘now’. That is my whole intention. I don’t want to repeat a character that I’ve played before. I want to seem new every time,” she says, adding that she is sure Parna from Uttoron will find a place in the hearts of the audience.
When taking the plunge from television to films, Sarcar’s goal was to get better as an actor. To this end, she has also been taking online filmmaking courses from a university in New York. “I want to get better at my craft,” she says.
Another reason for her move to cinema was the desire to play a variety of strong women.
While she admits that the portrayal of women has changed for the better over the years in Bengali television, she feels the making has not changed much, and has, in fact, gotten worse. “They are trying hard to make the women characters look stronger, more independent and more impactful. People have decided that they want to show the girls and women being much stronger. But unfortunately, the making of television shows is severely lacking.”
She compares television to high school and says that it is good for a certain while, when one doesn’t know anything about acting or how to stand in front of the camera. “But once you’re done with school, you have to move on. And that was the case with me.”
Photo Source: Hoichoi
The actor feels Bengali cinema, on the other hand, is on a promising trajectory. “We have come out of the commercial and typical storylines. We are now trying to do something different, organic, interesting and new. Experimenting like this is good. Maybe we will fail, but then we can rise up again. I think this process is very important to get better at the end of the day.”
She notes that the women in Bengali films have become more than just a “showpiece” or a “mannequin,” and cites as examples her role and that of fellow actor Aparajita Adhya in the female-centric film Chini, as well as her character in Love Aaj Kal Porshu. “These films do not try to minimise their women characters to make the male character look better.”
Sarcar adds that Parna from the upcoming Uttoron is another such impactful character.
Speaking about the roles she has admired in recent times, Sarcar mentions the recently-released Hindi film Atrangi Re and Sara Ali Khan‘s character in it. “It was a complicated character that had many shades. I could see a lot, but I wanted to see a lot more. I really wanted to do her character.”
Mahaan, the upcoming Tamil film starring actor Vikram alongside his son Dhruv Vikram, will skip theatrical release and premiere on Amazon Prime Video directly, a source in the know confirmed to Silverscreen India, on condition of anonymity.
An official announcement on this is expected soon, the source added.
Mahaan is Vikram’s 60th film. It is written and directed by filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj, and marks the actor’s first collaboration with the director. The film also marks the first time Vikram is sharing screen space with his son Dhruv. Mahaan is backed by producer Lalit Kumar under the 7 Screen Studio banner.
“Though a few from the team wanted a theatrical release, the producers got a good offer from Amazon and the deal has been signed. For now, the streaming platform has slotted the film for premiere in the second week of February,” said the source.
Apart from the father-son duo, Mahaan’s cast also includes actors Simran and Bobby Simha in important roles. While Simha is a frequent collaborator of Subbaraj’s, Simran has previously appeared in the filmmaker’s 2019 film Petta.
Mahaan was announced in June 2020 and went on floors in March 2021. Music composer Anirudh Ravichander was initially brought on board for Mahaan, but he was later replaced by another Subbaraj regular, Santhosh Narayanan.
On August 15, Subbaraj announced that the team had wrapped up the shooting and shortly thereafter, the film’s first-look poster was released. Dubbing was completed in December and in January, Subbaraj tweeted, “Our film Mahaan is all ready and delivered. Will be released very soon. Can’t wait to show the film to you all. Release updates and promotions on the way soon!”
It is to be noted that Mahaan will continue the OTT release streak of the filmmaker, whose last few projects – Jagame Thandhiram, and the anthologies Navarasa and Putham Pudhu Kaalai – all premiered directly on streaming platforms.
The Vineeth Srinivasan directorial features actors Pranav Mohanlal, Darshana Rajendran, and Kalyani Priyadarshan, in the lead roles. The film is a coming-of-age drama, revolving around Arun Neelakandan over ten years, from his late teens until his late twenties. 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 toSilverscreen India‘s reviewer, Aswathy Gopalakrishnan.
Gopalakrishnan notes that there’s little character journey in the film, with Vineeth presenting the familiar and the mediocre. “His characters engage in relentless talking, but the absence of superior writing and cinematic aesthetics fail to turn their everyday experiences universal and inspiring,” she writes.
For Vishal Menon, of Film Companion, Hridayam revisits those memory lanes that only a Malayali, who has studied, lived and loved in Chennai, like Menon himself, could resonate with.
He calls the film “extremely overwritten” with the abrupt nature of its scenes unable to leave an impact, while invoking a sense of nostalgia.
SR Praveen of The Hindu, seems to reiterate Menon’s point of view and writes that one of Sreenivasan’s selling point are the segments that evoke nostalgia.
He adds, “Yet, there were points in Hridayam when Vineeth displayed more than a desire to break free of that cheerful, heartwarming mould and let his characters run wild, laying bare their demons. But then, the characters seem to get sudden realisations about the kind of movie that they are in, and get back to radiating goodness.”
Directed by Rahul Sadasivan, Bhoothakaalam features actors Revathi and Shane Nigam in lead roles. “Following the death of a family member, a mother and son experience mysterious events which distort their sense of reality and make them question their sanity,” read IMDb‘s synopsis of the film.
Sadasivan spoke toSilverscreen India earlier, and said, “Revathi and Shane play the lead characters in the film and they are from a middle-class family. The story follows their emotional journey in life. I thought it would be a unique blend of performances with actors Revathi and Shane on board, as we have not seen such a combination.”
Regarding the conception of Bhoothakaalam, Sadasivan had said that he wanted to make a film backed by a strong plot and driven by its characters. Hence, he wrote Bhoothakaalam that explores how the mother-son duo cope with certain situations, the change in power dynamics at home, and much more.
Vishal Menon, of Film Companion, decodes the title of the film and writes that it can be interpreted as “a broken-family drama that’s as much about the ghosts of the past as it is about the ghosts in the present.”
Menon adds that the film feels personal and scary, with the depiction of the silences between the mother-son duo. He also points out that what starts out as a quest to understand the mental health situations of the characters, takes a backseat as the film embraces the ‘haunted house’ format.
“Until then, there’s a layer of fear that gets added on because these events could happen to any one of us. But when the film shifts from Shane’s subjective viewpoint to Saiju Kurup’s outsider, the film finds one major reason for all their issues, which feels simplistic when dealing with serious mental illness,” writes Menon.
For Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost, it is impossible to define the film as a psychological thriller or a paranormal thriller. “It is either or both, depending on how you wish to view it,” she writes.
“By dwelling on mental health at length, it does more than most Indian language cinemas do, but it is not as lucid as most Malayalam films these days are about psychiatry and the treatment of ailments of the mind, especially when it does not address the irresponsibility shown by Asha’s doctor (Gilu Joseph) and in its fuzziness over Saiju Kurup’s character’s area of expertise,” she adds.
Apart from the actors’ performances, the reviewers credit Gopi Sundar’s background score, Shafique Mohamed Ali’s editing, and Vicky and Kishan’s sound design that make it an unusual Indian thriller.
This film is musician Darbuka Siva’s directorial debut, and its synopsis reads, “In the 1990s, a group of high school students in a strict Catholic school navigates their way through everyday teen pressures.”
The film features actors Sacchin Nachiappan, Naren Vijay, and Varun Rajan, among others.
Ranjani Krishnakumar, of Film Companion, writes that the director uses nostalgia as a technique, where ordinary lives play out in painstaking detail.
“We see roll calls, sports days, farewell parties, fashion shows — the dullest events written and shot in a mundane manner. Perhaps in an effort to make a feel-good film, Siva eliminates all and any narrative tension,” she writes.
However, Krishnakumar notes that the film comes with a diverse set of characters, even though its focus is unclear.
For Praveen Sudevan of The Hindu, despite lacking a solid plot, the film’s first half is still pleasant. He attributes it to the the effective capture of the 90s spirit, through the lives of high school children.
“From boys in loose full-sleeved shirts (buttoned up and well-tucked in) and trousers, girls in churidars with the sleeves coming up to the middle of their arms, a buzzing Spencers Plaza, an annual diary converted into a ‘slam book’,” to Yamaha RX 100 motorcycles, and cassettes, Sudevan reflects on Krishnakumar’s point on nostalgia.
Owing to the film’s general lack of focus, primarily witnessed in the second half, “it is difficult to empathise with these characters because we do not stay with anyone for long,” he adds.
The film has an IMDb rating of 8.1
Apart from the aforementioned films, some others like Shyam Singha Roy, Akhanda, and Bachelor are currently streaming on Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and SonyLIV, respectively, after completing their theatrical runs.
Netflix executives, on Thursday, addressed the reasons behind the platform’s limited success in India, during their Earnings Interview for the fourth quarter of 2021, while co-founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings termed it “frustrating.”
Although Netflix’s global subscriber base currently stands at 222 million, the streaming giant has not really been able to make inroads into India, with only 2.6 million new subscribers coming from the entire Asia-Pacific region in the last quarter.
“The thing that frustrates us is why haven’t we been more successful in India,” Hastings said during the webcast on Thursday.
The panel consisted of Hastings, Chief Content Head Ted Sarandos, Product and Operations Officer Greg Peters, and Chief Financial Officer Spencer Neumann. They discussed Netflix’s performance in India, after the streamer cut down the price of its monthly plans in the country, even as it increased rates in USA and Canada.
The new Netflix plans in India start from Rs 149 per month for its mobile plan. The basic plan is fixed at Rs 199, while the cost is Rs 499 and Rs 649 for the Standard and Premium plans, respectively.
Peters said the decision to decrease prices in India was made in order to achieve long-term maximisation of the subscriber base.
Hastings noted that their main competition in the country was cable television, which is priced at $3 (around Rs 220) or below. However, the primary rival of Netflix in India’s OTT space is Disney+ Hotstar, which broadcasts widely-watched sports content like cricket, apart from streaming series and films. Hotstar’s collaboration with Disney has also drawn in the Marvel fanbase with spin-off shows like WandaVision, Loki, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, and the upcoming Moon Knight.
“India is fundamentally different in a way that we can’t figure out how to tailor our offering to be attractive to Indian consumers, who love entertainment,” said Peters. He added that better subtitling and dubbing would help in the localisation of content and accelerate viewership, as non-English language content has proven to be a game-changer for the streaming giant.
Photo Credit: Netflix
The South Korean show Squid Game became Netflix’s biggest launch ever, amassing 1.65 billion hours of viewership in the first four weeks of its release. Sarandos confirmed a second season for the survival drama series and said, “The Squid Game universe has just begun.”
The Spanish show Money Heist, whose latest season premiered recently, has garnered 6.7 billion hours of viewership since it first arrived on the platform.
The fourth quarter of 2021 also witnessed the launch of two of Netflix’s biggest films ever, Red Notice and Don’t Look Up.
Apart from discussing these releases and their performances, the panel also spoke about the forecast of a slowdown in early 2022 for the streamer. While they could not pinpoint the reason behind this, the panel attributed the slowdown to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the economic slump in Latin American countries. In addition to this, they acknowledged that growing competition from rival streaming platforms has had an impact on Netflix’s growth worldwide.
Even though the panel maintained that the platform grew significantly in 2021, the subscription numbers tell a different story. Netflix added only 18 million new paid subscribers in 2021, down by over 50% from 2020, when it acquired 37 million paid subscribers.
Netflix also recently began its expansion into games, which are included in the subscriptions and built around popular shows like Stranger Things. However, the executives all agreed that it was too early to comment on this development.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to shake the film industry, and with cases surging, theatres across several states have been forced to limit occupancy. Scheduled releases of big films such as Radhe Shyam, and Acharya, among others, stand postponed as a result. However, a few films are still going ahead with theatrical premieres. These include the Tamil movie Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal on January 28, and the Malayalam film Hridayam on Friday.
Meanwhile, streaming platforms continue to provide new content to entertain the audiences. Silverscreen India brings you this list of seven upcoming releases on OTT platforms this week.
Presenting a blend of Bengali and Telugu cultures, this film features Nani in the titular role, alongside three female leads, Sai Pallavi, Krithi Shetty, and Madonna Sebastian, who play a devadasi, a graduate of Psychology, and a lawyer, respectively. A drama set in the 1970s, the film makes references to significant events of that time, including the Naxalbari uprising, the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, India’s Emergency in 1975, and the rise of Communism, according to director Rahul Sankrityan, who had spoken to us earlier.
Shyam Singha Roy released in cinemas last month and gets its digital premiere this Friday.
Headlined by Nandamuri Balakrishna, this Telugu film was released in theatres on December 2. The film collected approximately Rs 15.35-15.40 crore (gross) in the Telugu states on its first day, and entered the 100-crore club within 11 days of its release. It is directed by Boyapati Srinu and it revolves around “a fierce devotee of Lord Shiva, who stands tall against evildoers,” according to IMDb. Following its success, Boyapati Srinu also announced a sequel at a recent press meet.
Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran’s second directorial, Bro Daddy features Mohanlal in the lead role. It also stars Prithviraj himself and has an ensemble cast that includes Kalyani Priyadarshan, Meena, Lalu Alex, Murali Gopy, Kaniha, and Soubin. It is written by Sreejith N and Bibin Maliekal, who earlier told Silverscreen India that Bro Daddy is a “feel-good family-entertainer with casual fun elements.”
Musician-turned-actor GV Prakash’s Bachelor tells the story of a “deeply flawed guy with behavioural issues and conservative background,” who embarks on a live-in relationship with a “hep modern girl,” and the problems that arise out of it, according to IMDb. The film also stars Divyabharathi, Muniskanth, and Bhagavathi Perumal. It is written and directed by Sathish Selvakumar.
Comprising of five short films, this Hindi anthology provides a “window into how the COVID 19 pandemic has changed us, making us value life and emotions more than ever,” according to its makers. Emotions such as love, longing, fear, and friendship, are portrayed in the various segments, helmed by filmmakers Shikha Makan, Ruchir Arun, Nupur Asthana, Ayappa KM, and Nagraj Manjule.
This Malayalam film stars actors Revathi and Shane Nigam as a mother and son duo. It is directed by Rahul Sadasivan, who, in an earlier interaction with Silverscreen India, said, “They are from a middle-class family. The story follows their emotional journey in life. I thought it would be a unique blend of performances with actors Revathi and Shane on board as we have not seen such a combination.” Noting that they have decided to keep the film’s genre a secret, he added that the film will explore the duo’s coping mechanisms, the change in power dynamics at home, and much more.
This film is musician Darbuka Siva’s directorial debut, and its synopsis reads, “In the 1990s, a group of high school students in a strict Catholic school navigates their way through everyday teen pressures.”
On Saturday, Amazon Prime Video released the trailer of the upcoming anthology series Unpaused: Naya Safar, the sequel to 2020’s Unpaused. Ahead of the trailer release, Ayappa KM and Geetanjali Kulkarni, the director and star of one of the segments, sat down with Silverscreen India to discuss their short, War Room.
The story revolves around a character named Sangeeta (played by Kulkarni), a Covid war-room worker who gets a call one day which puts her in a dilemma.
“War Room is two-headed. Firstly, it is kind of a homage to all the frontline workers who stepped up, went beyond their call of duty, and have been working tirelessly through the pandemic,” says Ayappa. “Secondly, it is the study of a character who is supposedly righteous but is presented with a difficult situation where she has to choose between her work ethic and personal life decisions. Everyone exists in such a duality and has different shades. More often than not, you are not what you may seem to another person.”
“At the end of the day, it is a character drama and I was drawn to this character,” Ayappa adds. “So we sat down to think about where to put this character in the story and a Covid war room seemed like an interesting place. Initially, she was supposed to just take calls, but then we thought, what if she gets a call that makes you question the way you look at somebody?”
“I like strong middle-aged female characters for some reason, maybe because of my mother,” the filmmaker explains. “Specifically in Bombay, you see a lot of women who keep going about their jobs without complaining and deserve more credit than they get.”
Kulkarni is best known for her role in Chaitanya Tamhane’s National Award-winning film, Court, and Ayappa had the actor in mind for War Room right from the start. “I was very clear from the beginning that I wanted to cast Geetanjali. In fact, the character was also named after her initially,” he reveals. “I had seen her in Court and I like performances which are very realistic but not understated. After seeing that one film of hers, I had been unsuccessfully trying to cast her in other projects. She has breathed more than just life into the character.”
Talking about her character, Kulkarni says, “She is a teacher in a government school and is volunteering in the war room. When you are in a war room, there is a moral responsibility on the person. The story is about the challenges she faces one day while taking calls. The story and the character feel very real. You see people like her everywhere around you. They have so many challenges in life, but still come forward and work.”
The actor, who has also starred in the TVF web series Gullak, says she takes inspiration for her performances from the people around her. “I have seen so many people like the characters I play. There are a lot of people around me, who have different kinds of lives, and that inspires me as a creative person. I take a lot of stories from them and enrich myself as much as possible.”
“I feel, after a point, simply watching stories and reading books or scripts is not enough to understand a character. We need to feel the real thing by putting ourselves in that situation. This story belongs to these two years that we have been witnessing. So that was my prep work, along with the directions I was given,” she adds.
Photo Credit – PR Handout
Ayappa, who mainly does ad films, feels that experimenting with different genres helps him grow as a creator. “Mainly, I do a lot of comedy stuff. But, as a storyteller, you’re interested in all kinds of stories. A lot of people get into a genre, feel comfortable with it, and stick to it. But for me, I like to dabble with different things and I don’t like to hit just one note. Although my strength is in comedy, I wanted to do something that challenged me. War Room is a very emotional story and it opened up so many avenues in my head.”
While the anthology promises stories of hope, the director says he focused on conflict because it seemed more realistic. “The overarching theme of the anthology is hope, so War Room does have a very subtly positive ending. However, the central theme of the story is conflict and it is about a woman who we think is very righteous but she suddenly has to dig deeper to figure out who she really is.”
“It is slightly dishonest to just keep making happy stories about the pandemic because it was only stress-free for a very small group. For most people, it has been very harsh. Film as art should reflect that and we can’t just talk about the good stuff that happened during these couple of years,” he notes.
Unpaused: Naya Safar is slated to premiere on Amazon Prime on Friday, January 21.
Disney+ Hotstar released the trailer of the upcoming series, The Great Indian Murder, on Tuesday. The show is an adaptation of Vikas Swarup’s murder mystery novel, Six Suspects. 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.
Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and produced by Ajay Devgn and Priti Vinay Sinha, The Great Indian Murder will stream on the platform from February 4.
Talking about her character, DCP Sudha Bhardwaj, during a press conference, Chadha said Dhulia’s only instruction to her was to perform the role with a “lot of dignity.”
“But, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a sense of humour or there won’t be any lighter moments in her life. I built the character keeping those nuances in mind,” she added. “My character guided me in which direction to go. It is difficult for actors because you are always told to create something new. Here, I am playing an investigator, so it is all about my eyes. She has to read between the lines, understand what people are saying and what they mean. It was tough to stay understated and play a character like her in this male (dominated) world.”
“I haven’t really got a chance to play straight-up, ‘normal’ characters. They are either abusive, extremely rural, or ganglords,” the actor said, about the characters she has essayed in her career thus far. “This is perhaps one of the most straight, upfront characters I have played.”
Chadha and Gandhi both mentioned that they were intrigued by how their characters were written into the script, despite not being a part of the book.
Gandhi called his character “extremely challenging and interesting” and said he had ample opportunities to play the different layers of the role with humour.
“Richa’s character and mine 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,” Gandhi said.
Swarup, who also attended the press conference, said the new characters were required to take on the roles of the “sutradhars” (narrators) in the series. He also added that the team has done a good job adapting his book without compromising on the scale of the show.
Explaining why they chose the series format for the adaptation, Dhulia, who has co-written the series alongside writers Vijay Maurya and Puneet Sharma, said the book had too many elements to be adapted into a film.
He also spoke about how Indian storytelling has changed considerably with the arrival of online streaming platforms. “I have been saying that OTT will take over films for 10 years now. The pandemic has sped up the process. I am extremely happy in this space. You get to make an OTT show the same way you make a feature film, with the same mounting. You get to work with good actors now and the new breed of actors are much more disciplined.”
“In films, you are always pushing the plot forward to an interval point… Our sense of screenplay was contrived, but OTT has purified it and given it clarity. Now, we get to tell new stories, in a new way, with new technology and better actors, and we get to show it to the world,” said Dhulia.
Adding to that, Devgn said, “The best thing about OTT is that here, scripts and storytelling are of utmost importance. What we could not do in films, we can do here on OTT. That’s the best part of it, that you can think of new ideas, different things and put it out on screen.”
The Great Indian Murder will stream in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali.
Developed by John Carney, the American romantic comedy anthology, which has seen two seasons, revolves around tales of love and longing that are inspired by personal essays from the New York Times’ popular column of the same name.
According to a press release, just as the original anthology series explores love in all of its complicated and beautiful forms with each episode bringing to life a different story, the Indian version will have a “similar, yet fresh” concept with the various stories presented as individual episodes.
The press note further adds that each of the actors announced will lead a different director’s story in the anthology.
The American show featured actors like Anne Hathaway, Kit Harrington, Dev Patel, Tina Fey, Tobias Menezies, and Andrew Scott, among many others, in the various segments.
The Indian series was shot late in 2021 and is expected to release soon on the OTT platform, as per the press release.
Meanwhile, Gandhi, who made his streaming debut with Scam 1992, will also be seen in another upcoming OTT project titled The Great Indian Murder, alongside Richa Chadha. The Disney+ Hotstar show is directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and is based on Vikas Swarup’s bestselling novel Six Suspects.
Gabbi, who was seen last in Kabir Khan’s ’83, has the Netflix original series Mai and a Punjabi film named Galwakdi in the pipeline. She made her OTT debut with Grahan in 2021.
Fatima, on the other hand, will also be seen in director Meghna Gulzar‘s upcoming film, Sam Bahadur, alongside Sanya Malhotra and Vicky Kaushal. Reports suggest that she will be sharing the screen with Anil Kapoor in a yet-to-be-announced project as well.
Netflixannounced a lineup of 25 new Korean-language shows and films, on Tuesday, including the Korean adaptation of the popular show Money Heist.
The announcement comes post the success of Korean shows like Squid Game and Hellbound on the platform.
The South Korean survival drama which premiered on Netflix on September 17, 2021, became the platform’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, according to the plaform’s statement.
Squid Game also became the first-ever non-English language as well as Korean show to win the Golden Globe Awards, and receive nods in the Screen Actor Guild Awards.
Its success was topped off by the Korean supernatural show Hellbound that started streaming in November and garnered 43 million hours of viewership within the first few days of its release.
The new slate of titles include shows like All of Us Are Dead, Forecasting Love and Weather, and Thirty Nine, which are scheduled to release on January 28, February 12, and February 16, respectively, as well as Money Heist: Korea- Joint Economic Area. Others include Tomorrow, Business Proposal, The Sound of Magic, Remarriage and Desires, A Model Family, Glitch, The Accidental Narco (WT), The Fabulous, Love to Hate You, Somebody, and Black Knight.
Netflix also introduced an unscripted show, titled Celeb Five: Behind the Curtain.
The films slate includes Love and Leashes, Yaksha: Ruthless Operations, Carter, Seoul Vibe, 20th Century Girl, and Jung E.
The BJP-led Union government’s Ministry of Information and Broadcast has written to Zee Entertainment seeking a response to a complaint about alleged objectionable content telecast on its Tamil channel.
The complaint from the BJP’s Tamil Nadu President of IT and Social Media Cell, CTR Nirmal Kumar, alleges that the show Junior Super Stars Season 4 on Zee Tamil featured children “deliberately making obnoxious comments” on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Scathing remarks were passed about demonetisation, diplomatic travel to various countries, PM’s attire, and disinvestment,” the complaint adds.
In its notice addressed to the Managing Director of Zee Entertainment and dated Monday, January 17, the MIB requested a response to the complaint within seven days and noted that failure to do so would result in further action.
Kumar’s complaint referred to an episode of the talent-search reality show, which aired on the Zee Tamil channel on Saturday and showcased children below the age of 10. The content in question was the performance of a skit by two children – one dressed as a king and the other, a minister – which has the latter subtly mocking the former, who is said to be the ruler of a country named ‘Sindhiya’. In videoclips of the performance circulating on social media, the children can be seen talking about issues of this imaginary country that mirror those that occurred in India during Modi’s tenure, such as the farmers’ protests, demonetisation, and privatisation of various sectors, among others. The satirical skit pokes fun at the ruler for his failures and misrule.
The children also note that the ruler receives no recognition from people in the southern part of the country, often takes foreign tours, and wears jackets of different colours. The performance is met with applause from the audience and the panel of judges, including actors Sneha and Mirchi Senthil.
When this show was brought to the attention of the BJP, a complaint was sent by Kumar to the channel and then the party escalated the matter and took it to the MIB.
“For a kid below the age of 10, it would be impossible for him/her to even understand what these really mean,” said Kumar, in his complaint, adding that these children were “compelled” to perform on these topics in the name of comedy. The judges, anchors, and mentors encouraging the same throughout the skit, “sends a wrong message about the channel in Tamil Nadu and what it stands for nationally,” he further said.
Kumar also added that channel and respective guardians should be held legally and morally accountable for the “blatant misinformation passed casually” via children.
In his complaint, Kumar demanded that the programme be taken off air. He further said a public apology must be issued by its makers, producer, judges, mentors, and the channel, and added that the person responsible for the content should be fired.
The makers of the show have not yet commented on the issue.
Meanwhile, following the complaint from the BJP, several copies of the video clips are being circulated on social media, including Hindi-dubbed versions with English subtitles.
This is not the first time the BJP and its affiliates have gone after a children’s performance. In 2020, a sedition case was filed against the mother of a student and a teacher from Shaheen School in Karnataka’s Bidar, for staging a play critiquing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on Sunday took to Instagram and called out a fake casting call on social media for Season 3 of his series Sacred Games.
Announcing that there is no third season of the series in the works, Kashyap shared a screenshot of the Instagram Story with the fake casting call and requested followers to report the scamster. He wrote, “This man is a scamster. Please report him. There is no season 3 of Sacred Games happening. I am filing an FIR against this person.”
The screenshot the filmmaker shared mentions that female actors of different age groups are wanted who “must be ok with bold scenes.” The account that put out this post has been deactivated.
Such fake casting calls seem to be a regular phenomenon in the entertainment industry lately. In July 2021, director Rajkumar Hirani’s office filed an FIR with the police after someone created a fake Instagram profile impersonating Hirani’s son Kabir. The individual put out a casting call for actors to audition for a film called “Teenage Cinema” and even sent messages demanding money from those who responded to the call.
Shanoo Sharma, YRF’s casting director, has also time and again posted warnings on social media about fake casting calls.
Earlier, casting director Tess Joseph had toldSilverscreen India, “With access to social media, these instances have become more rampant. Before, we would sit in our offices and audition actors, but post the pandemic and shutting of formal office spaces, online auditions/self-tapes have become the norm. This allows for fraud/fake casting calls.”
Sacred Games 2 was released in August 2019, while the first season of the popular series premiered in July 2018. A crime thriller series, the show is based on the Vikram Chandra novel of the same name. It stars Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Girish Kulkarni, Neeraj Kabi, and Jeetendra Joshi in key roles. The show was produced by Kashyap’s Phantom Films in association with Reliance Entertainment.
With the rising third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has resulted in the shutdown of cinemas across the country. Makers of highly anticipated, big-budget films like RRR, Radhe Shyam, and Valimaihave announced that their releases will be indefinitely postponed. This has served as an opportunity to smaller, regional films, who seem to have gone ahead with theatrical releases.
Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen Indiawrites that while this anthology might not be a significant improvement, in comparison to the previous pandemic-themed Tamil anthology films, it brings forth more grounded tales and a far more effective cast.
She calls Anthony’s segment the best of the lot, as it focuses on the psychological ramifications of the pandemic-induced lockdown.
Ranjani Krishnakumar of Film Companioncalls it “uneven” and “underwhelming.” For her, Madhumita’s film stands out from the rest, as it is intuitive without scratching around for details. She also finds that it gives priority to emotions over events. “In the process, it makes the viewer less of a voyeur and more of a well-wisher,” she says.
Ashameera Aiyappan of Firstpost, compares the film with its prequel, Putham Pudhu Kaalai. For her, while the first part romanticises the pandemic and highlights the need to seek connections over loss and grief, the sequel tries to achieve the balance between the two.
The Sathish-starrer, directed by Kishore Rajkumar revolves around a man, whose soul gets swapped with that of a dog.
Ranjani Krishnakumar of Film Companionwrites that while the film claims to be a ‘comedy’, it hardly comes with any. She calls the screenplay a ‘disaster’ and the film ‘unimaginative.’
For Bhuvanesh Chander of Cinema Express, apart from the “mirthless writing”, the film has many unnecessary characters who hijack the screen, with scores of joyless scenes that make matters worse.
Both reviewers point out the film’s efforts to draw a connection with cinema of the past.
While Krishnakumar looks at the stunt of naming the dogs after Rajinikanth’s films, for Chandar, the film tries to establish a link with the 90s era, referring to Eddie Murphy’s Doctor Dolittle.
This Kalyan Krishna-directorial features actors Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya, Krithi Shetty, and Ramya Krishnan, in the lead roles. According to IMDb‘s synopsis, “Bangarraju and Satyabhama come down to settle the life of their grandson Chinna Bangarraju and to save the treasure of temple.”
Bangarraju is probably the only film with big names in the industry attached to it, which has stuck to its date of release.
Mukesh Manjunath of Film Companion, writes, “The biggest problem with Kalyan Krishna’s screenplay is that there never really is any tension about anything happening to Chinna Bangarraju because the older Bangarraju makes an entry early on. Neither do we see the younger Bangarraju suffering nor do the threats seem real.”
For Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu, “in its bid to keep things fairly happy and entertaining, the story never scratches beneath the surface to explore either the brewing familial discontent or the supernatural element.”
Putham Puthu Kalai Vidiyaadhais a collection of five short films that draw from life in between two pandemic-induced lockdowns in India. Although it isn’t a great improvement on the previous pandemic-themed Tamil anthology, Putham Puthu Kalai Vidiyaadhafeatures more grounded tales and a far more effective cast.
The best of the lot is kept for last. In Richard Anthony’s Nizhal Tharum Idham, the lockdown is psychological rather than physical. Aishwarya Lekshmi plays Shobi, a daughter who returns to her father’s house in Pondicherry after his sudden death. Her inability to mourn or move forward manifests in the film’s visual style. The camera, in uncomfortable mid-shots, breathes as she holds her gaze into the vacuum, curls up on her bed or tries to verbalise her feelings. The film has a good narrative rhythm. Shobi oscillates between meeting people and retreating to her solitary existence. Aishwarya is brilliant here. She internalises Shobi’s social disconnection and her struggles to break that inexplicable psychological wall.
The rest of the shorts in the anthology lack the grace and imagination of Nizhal Tharum Idham. For one, Balaji Mohan’s Mugakavasa Mutham (Kiss Over A Mask) is a feature film awkwardly compressed into a short, centred on archetypal characters. Gouri G Kishan plays a police constable who is the object of adulation and affection of a colleague (Teejay Arunasalam). They are in a state-imposed lockdown, but not physically separated. They flirt, aptly encouraged by their friends. The film uses a dull, hackneyed narrative device to bring them to that moment of admission of love. Every gesture and dialogue reeks of clichés. She rides a scooter into the frame, smiling at no one in particular, too pleased with herself, and every time an ambulance passes by, she stops to say a quick prayer. There is a short dance sequence where the cops are trying to make a PSA video on Covid, but the cheerfulness seems too made-up, too flat.
Balaji Mohan’s fixation with buoyant narratives resembles Halitha Shameem’s liking for stories about relationships mediated by technology. Loners, starring Lijomol Jose and Arjun Das, is a well-shot film about two strangers brought closer during the lockdown by video conferencing devices. The film is verbose. The conversations work when they touch the mundane and the intimate, letting the characters express their frustrations and grief. Then, the film steps into the social media zone, putting tweets and memes in the characters’ mouths. There is a lot of name-dropping of brands too. The film has a fantastic lead cast, especially Arjun Das, whose portrayal of a man who wants to connect with the world as much as he wants to stay away from it, is poignant. But once you are past the sparkling chemistry of the couple and the narrative possibilities the film plays with in its initial part, Loners is a clumsy, forgettable setup.
Madhumita’s Mouname Paarvaiyai is a love story too, about a married couple past their prime, who live under the same roof yet haven’t talked to each other in a long time after an ugly tiff. The film uses no dialogue, but there isn’t much on the screen to make up for the lack of it. The small-screen quality of the narrative is hard to overlook. The camera follows Nadhiya doing her daily chores. When she is wiping dust off a photograph of her playing the flute, an art she had to forgo post marriage, the film’s tone shifts to despair, as though someone pressed a switch. The mounting of tension inside the household is effectively conveyed through slick rapid cuts (editor TS Suresh) and impressive use of diegetic sound. The actors are good too. But Mouname Parvayaai suffers from predictability. If you did not know from the first few moments that the lockdown will bring the romance back to their semi-dead marriage, you haven’t seen enough movies.
Surya Krishna’s Mask is, in large part, a motivational video. Arjun (Manikantan) wants to rent a flat where he can live with his boyfriend, Paul (Arun Kurien). But his nervousness about letting the world know about his sexuality causes a rift in his romantic life. Through a long-winded central scene featuring a conversation between him and his childhood friend, the film emphasises the importance of removing the masks people wear all their life. It is unimaginatively written and shot. The breaking of the fourth wall, a technique popularised by Fleabag, is wasted here, as the viewer feels no personal connection with the protagonist.
Indian anthologies on OTT platforms have been an exercise in mindlessly pouring money into India’s digital media sphere and expanding the content. The writers write, the actors act, but nothing lingers. Putham Pudhu Kalai Vidiyaatha, like its predecessors, touches upon contemporary issues, albeit carefully, without ticking any party off. Yet another 150-minute long visual work the viewer can fast-forward or consume in slices over a week.
*****
This Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyadhaa 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 number of Covid-19 cases surging across the country, the restrictions imposed on cinema halls have returned and theatre owners are bracing themselves for uncertain times ahead.
In a big blow to Tamil Nadu theatre owners, the release of Ajith Kumar-starrer Valimai, which was scheduled to hit the theatres for the occasion of Pongal on January 13, was postponed. And with other big-budget films like RRR and Radhe Shyam opting out of the festive race, several small and medium-budget films like Naai Sekar,Kombu Vatcha Singamda, Carbon and Enna Solla Pogirai have announced their releases. On the other hand, Dulquer Salmaan-starrer Malayalam film Salutewhich was scheduled to release on January 14, has also been postponed.
As makers of big-budget films like RRR and Valimai have announced that they will continue to wait for restrictions to be lifted to release the films in theatres, several others have decided to take the OTT route. Here are seven new films and shows you can stream this week :
Written and directed by Vighnesh Koushik, the upcoming Telugu film starring Prince Cecil and Neha Krishna is produced by Pradeep Reddy. In a conversation with Silverscreen India, director Vighnesh said that the film is a crime-comedy drama. “It is a story about a guy from a middle-class family in India who goes to the US to chase after the American dream and make it big. This film is primarily about the hurdles he faces, the people he meets, and how he overcomes the challenges that are thrown at him. The film has a hint of a crime genre too.”
Starring Tahir Raj Bhasin, Shweta Tripathi Sharma and Anchal Singh, Netflix’s Hindi thriller series is created by Sidharth Sengupta. “Relentlessly pursued by a powerful politician’s daughter who will do anything to make him hers, a man slips down a dark, risky path to reclaim his life,” reads the series’s logline.
Directed by Joel Coen, The Tragedy of Macbeth features Denzel Washington, who won two Academy Awards for Glory and Training Days, along with Frances McDormand, who recently won her fourth Academy Award for Nomadland. According to a report by Indiewire, McDormand said, “In Joel’s adaptation, we are exploring the age of the characters and in our adaptation the Macbeths are older. Both Denzel and I are older than what is often cast as the Macbeths. We’re postmenopausal, we’re past childbearing age. So that puts pressure on their ambition to have the crown. I think the most important distinction is that it is their last chance for glory.”
The Journalist– Netflix (January 13)
The Japanese language series follows a dedicated journalist who doggedly pursues the truth about a government corruption scandal even as powerful enemies seek to neutralize her reporting.
Brazen– Netflix (January 13)
According to the streaming platform, “Prominent mystery writer and crime expert, Grace (Alyssa Milano), hurries back to her family home in Washington, D.C. because her estranged sister summons her. When her sister is killed and her double life as a webcam performer is revealed, Grace ignores the warnings of cool-headed detective Ed and gets involved in the case.”
Squid Game became the first ever non-English language television series to receive a nod at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, when the nominations for 2020 were announced on Wednesday.
Also the first Korean show to be nominated for SAG awards, it received nods in four categories – ensemble in a drama series, stunt ensemble, and lead female and male performances in a drama series (for Jung Ho-Yeon and Lee Jung-Jae, respectively).
The biggest Netflix show was tied in total nominations with Mare of Easttown and The Morning Show, both of which also received four nods each.
However, the shows with the most nominations were Succession and Ted Lasso, with five each. The former – HBO’s series on a media mogul and his family – saw three of its actors make it to the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series shortlist while Sarah Snook got a nod in the corresponding female category as did the show’s ensemble. Ted Lasso, on the other hand, received individual recognitions for four of its actors in the comedy series category as well as a nomination for its ensemble.
Actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, and Kodi Smit-McPhee are all nominated for Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog – Cumberbatch as the lead actor and the other two for their supporting roles.
Speaking to Variety, Cumberbatch said, “I wish that Jesse [Plemons] was acknowledged as well. He’s such an exceptional actor. The film, it’s a quartet.”
Lady Gaga and Jared Leto, who essayed the roles of Patrizia Gucci and Paolo Gucci in Ridley Scott’s screen adaptation of Sara Gay Forden’s 2001 book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed, have been nominated in the leading female actor and supporting male actor categories, respectively.
The motion picture leading male actor nominations also include Golden Globe-winning actor Will Smith for his role in King Richard and Andrew Garfield for his performance in Tick, Tick, Boom!
Garfield’s co-star in the film, Vanessa Hudgens, had announced the SAG nominations along with Rosario Dawson, via an Instagram live event.
Ted Sarandos, who heads Netflix, shared the SAG nominations of Maid, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick, Boom!, and Squid Game on his Instagram stories, but skipped mentioning Campion’s win at Golden Globes last week. Likewise, Amazon Studios acknowledged the nominations of actors Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem for Being the Ricardos, while it did not do so when Kidman won a Golden Globe for the same film.
Photo Caption (L-R): Kristen Stewart, Mj Rodriguez; Credit: Wikimedia Commons
As a notable precursor to the Academy Awards, the 28th annual SAG award nominations were conspicuously missing a few Oscars frontrunners.
Among the notable overlooked performances was Kristen Stewart’s celebrated turn as Princess Diana in Spencer. And while Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose both won the Golden Globes for their performances in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, only Debose received a SAG nod.
Mj Rodriguez, who became the first ever trans woman to win a Golden Globe for her performance in Pose, and is an Emmy nominee as well, was also left out by SAG, as was her co-star Billy Ray Porter.
Similarly, the stars of Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast were ignored with the exception of Caitriona Balfe, who is nominated in the supporting actor category.
