Meanwhile, even as movies are performing well in theatres, the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, has sparked some fear. In its wake, Karnataka government announced on Friday that only fully-vaccinated people will be permitted to enter movie theatres and other public places in the state.
However, in Telangana, ahead of big-budget, star-studded Telugu releases, such as RRR, Pushpa, and Radhe Shyam, Minister for Cinematography Talasani Srinivas Yadav encouraged people to go watch films in theatres and announced that there were no plans to cap theatre occupancy in the state.
At the same time, many new films and shows are also releasing on OTT platforms. Here are seven new titles you can stream from this week.
Bali is a Marathi language film directed by Vishal Furia. It features actors Swapnil Joshi, Pooja Sawant and Samarth Jadhav. According to the official synopsis, it is about “a middle class, widowed father, Shrikant, whose life takes an unexpected turn when his seven-year-old son, Mandar collapses and is referred to Jansanjeevani Hospital for a detailed diagnosis.” Mandar then starts talking to a mysterious nurse whom he claims stays in an abandoned part of the hospital.
Starring Yo Oizumi and Yuya Yagira, this Japanese drama is written and directed by Gekidan Hitori. According to the streaming platform, Asakusa Kid tells the story of comedian Takeshi Kitano, who “got his start apprenticing with comedy legend Fukami of Asakusa. But as his star rises, his mentor’s declines.”
Aranyak is a Hindi web series featuring actors Raveena Tandon, Parambrata Chatterjee and Ashutosh Rana. The official synopsis reads, “Political ploys, personal agendas and a beastly myth all surface as two mismatched hill station cops navigate a web of suspects after a puzzling murder.”
A sci-fi suspense drama starring Riz Ahmed in the lead role, this film follows a “decorated Marine who goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from an inhuman threat. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind.”
This Sandra Bullock starrer is based on the 2009 British mini-series Unforgiven. The film’s official synopsis reads, “Released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime, Ruth Slater (Bullock) re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past. Facing severe judgment from the place she once called home, her only hope for redemption is finding the estranged younger sister she was forced to leave behind.”
This animated comedy-adventure film is directed by Clare Knight and Harry Cripps. It was released in select theatres on December 3, prior to streaming on Netflix. As per the streaming platform, the film revolves around a group of “deadly” animals (along with a celebrity koala named Pretty Boy) who escape the Australian Wildlife Park on a quest to find a home.
This animated series is based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M Schulz and is produced by WildBrain Studios. “After Lucy experiences a disappointing Christmas because her grandma couldn’t visit, she resolves to throw the best New Year’s Eve party ever for the entire Peanuts gang, while Charlie Brown struggles to accomplish just one of his resolutions before the clock strikes twelve,” reads the official synopsis.
Vir Das, the Indian comedian and actor, will be writing and starring in an American comedy series for Fox media that revolves around country music. The single-camera comedy series is titled Country Eastern.
Das will also serve as the executive producer for this international project.
Apart from him, executive producers for the show include Andy Samberg, star of Brooklyn 99, as well as Sam Laybourne, Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer, Ali Bell and Reg Tigerman.
Laybourne, who has written for shows like Black-ish, Arrested Development, and Cougar Town, will also serve as the showrunner for Country Eastern.
According to the press release, Country Eastern is about “a young wealthy man from India who moves to America to restart his life with his family. In an attempt to rebuild their lives in Memphis, Tennessee, he decides to pursue his passion and become a country music singer. The only issue is that he’s completely shit at it. He’s going to have to gain some life experience in the States if he wants to have something real to sing about.”
Das said in a statement that the writing process is currently underway. “I’m excited to be collaborating with such immensely talented names, each of whom have an envious body of work. It’s a unique comedy and I’m looking forward to filming the series soon,” he added.
The series will be produced under the CBS Studios and Fox Entertainment banners.
Besides this, Das will also soon be seen in an upcoming Hollywood comedy film, titled The Bubble, directed by Judd Apatow.
Meanwhile, the comedian recently sparked controversy back home with his six-minute monologue video titled I Come from Two Indias, in which he spoke about several socio-political issues in the country.
The video was from a show at the John F Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, USA. It garnered both widespread criticism as well as praise. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Delhi Vice President, Aditya Jha, filed a complaint with the Delhi Police alleging that comedian made “derogatory” remarks against India on an international platform with the intention of maligning the country’s image.
Das later put out a statement clarifying that the video was meant as a “satire about the duality of two very separate Indias.”
Netflix, the digital streaming platform, and Stage 32, the US-based social network and educational site for creative professionals, are collaborating on a new initiative to help aspiring filmmakers.
Called Creating Content for the Global Marketplace, the programme aims to provide future creators’ access to industry experts, who can share their knowledge and talk through best practices, according to the statement released by the streaming giant.
The programme is designed to be a five-part series of virtual workshops in which participants will learn how to format a television pilot, create a series budget, and breakdown the pilot. They will also learn about the budget process for different scripted genres, including drama, sci-fi and comedy.
Persons who are registered with Stage 32 will be eligible to take part in the virtual workshops, the first session of which will be available via Stage 32’s website from December 15, 2021, with future sessions running monthly until May 2022. All sessions will be available for viewing on demand through 2022.
The list of industry experts who will be presenting the workshops include Anna M Henry, a development executive and producer who has worked with Netflix, HBO, Starz and CBS; Vijal Patel, an Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning writer and producer who has worked on shows such as Black-ish and The Middle; Tripper Clancy, a writer on shows such as Die Hart, Varsity Blues and the feature film Stuber; Jeanette B Milio, a producer of over 350 hours of globally-distributed content; and Mickey Fisher, a showrunner, writer and producer for Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Strain, and Extant.
Earlier this year, Netflix and Stage 32 conducted a workshop on television pitching, which was attended by 100,000 aspiring creators from over 160 countries. “We knew it would be a natural fit, but it was amazing to see the global impact of the workshop,” Netflix’s statement said about that workshop.
Voir, a six-part series of visual essays exploring the art of filmmaking, premiered on Netflix on Tuesday. The series, as told by various industry figures, is executive produced by filmmakers David Fincher and David Prior.
The series explores how cinema has affected the lives of the show’s narrators, through short video essays. Several directors and writers have been employed to produce these video essays, which also feature clips from the films that are being discussed.
Voir marks yet another collaboration with Netflix for Fincher after the 2020 film, Mank, starring Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried. The film had won Oscars for Best Achievement in Production Design and Best Achievement in Cinematography.
Here is Netflix’s rundown of the six episodes of Voir and what can be expected of them:
1. Summer Of The Shark
This episode is narrated by blogger Sasha Stone. It’s 1975 and a new film called Jaws is both enrapturing and terrifying theatregoers across the US. Stone’s obsession with filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s classic has become intrinsically tied with her childhood.
2. The Ethics Of Revenge
In this episode, editor and writer Tony Zhou breaks down the elements of the greatest tales of vengeance brought to screen, from Lady Vengeance to Goodfellas.
3. But I Don’t Like Him
Reflecting on his favourite film, in this episode, film critic Drew McWeeny contemplates on why we often find irredeemable, immoral, and unlikeable protagonists so compelling.
4. The Duality Of Appeal
Animators explain designing animated characters and what constitutes visual appeal, and how it speaks to our sensibilities. They speak about how deceptively simple choices in shape and movement can communicate infinitely complex emotions.
5. Film Vs Television
Writer and animator Taylor Ramos explores the changes that have caused the line between film and television to blur and how episodic storytelling has transformed over the years, becoming as extravagant and cinematic as the narratives told on the big screen.
6. Profane And Profound
In this episode, film critic Walter Chaw reflects on finding unexpected profundity in Walter Hill’s 1982 action comedy 48 Hrs, which depicted racial conflict with surprising complexity.
Indian cinemas finally seem to recuperate from the pandemic-induced blow after multiple films take the theatrical route, and make decent collections if not extraordinary.
While films like Sooryvanshi and Annaatthe have paved the way for the cinemas to return to normalcy, films like Marakkar, Tadap, and Antim: The Final Truth, seem to have followed suit.
Silverscreen India brings to you, a compilation of reviews from both critics as well as the audience of films that have released theatrically as well as digitally.
Still of Actor Keerthy Suresh from the move Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham
Mohanlal‘s Marakkar finally released in cinemas on December 2 after a long back-and-forth with theare owners over release. One of the highly anticipated Indian films, it suffered multiple pandemic-induced delays.
The story is a fictionalised account of the life of Mohammed Ali/Kunjali Marakkar, a naval commander who fought the Portuguese troops for the Samoothiri (Zamorin), the Hindu monarch of erstwhile Calicut, in the 16th century. Kunjali Marakkar was the fourth in his family to serve the Samoothiri in war.
Marakkar won the awards for best feature film, best special effects and best costume design at the 67th National Film Awards.
However, despite the hype around the film, it fell flat for both critics as well as the audience.
Swathy R Iyer of Silverscreen India blamed the weak, clunky writing and the long duration of the film for its loss of charm. She wrote, “Even with so much leeway to weave fiction into the plot and fill the gaps in Kunjali’s life, the story is still as predictable as it gets,” and added that the visuals and the production design come as the only respite.
Vishal Menon of Film Companion reflected similar sentiments and wrote that “Even with so much leeway to weave fiction into the plot and fill the gaps in Kunjali’s life, the story is still as predictable as it gets.”
Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpostwrote that it “lionises its lead male star (Mohanlal) in a cliched manner, the story and storytelling feel generic and, barring an engaging patch or two, it is indistinguishable from other formulaic war dramas intermittently produced by commercial cinema across Indian languages.”
The critics further pointed out the roles of reduced importance that the women in the film played.
It opened in over 600 screens in Kerala alone, and 4,100 worldwide.
The film currently holds an IMDbrating of 6.5, and user reviews call the screenplay and direction average.
GV Prakash‘s Bachelor is a romantic-drama about what follows after the lead in a casual relationship his partner with a woman ends up having an unwanted pregnancy.
For Sinndhuja of Silverscreen India, while director Sathish Selvakumar has tried to touch upon the ideas about sex, pregnancy, abortion, impotence, masculinity, domestic violence and a host of other themes that reference gender, he has not been able to grasp any of them.
According to Ranjani Krishnakumar of Film Companion, Prakash’s character is an incompetent Arjun Reddy and the film is sympathetic of its abuser. “So much so that in a film about heterosexual relationships, sexual health, living in, pregnancy, abortion and domestic violence law, we only hear men talk,” she added.
The period drama deals with the crash of an experimental lab built in space called Skylab, according to IMDb.
Sankeertana of Silverscreen India, called the film “delightfully peculiar” and said that it had been “made by a team that understands one another completely.”
According to Mukesh Manjunath of Film Companion, the film is a metaphor without the plot having much to contribute.
For Balakrishna Ganeshan, of The News Minute, the film’s conscious attempts to stay away from being transformed into a love story, comes as refreshing in Telugu cinema.
Critics also pointed out that every prop and character in the film had something to contribute.
Photo Caption: Abhishek Bachchan in and as Bob Biswas
The Abhishek Bachchan and Chitrangada Singh-starrer film is a spin-off to the fictional character of Bob Biswas from the 2012 film Kahaani. While the original role was played by actor Saswata Chatterjee, Bachchan steps in to play the lead.
Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India, wrote, “The film grapples with an acute identity crisis, unable to decide whether Bob Biswas is an underdog or a mastermind criminal.”
For Anupama Chopra of Film Companion, the beauty of Bob Biswas was his cold-hearted efficiency which could not be retained by either the script or Bachchan’s performance.
For Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express, Bachchan’s “Bob is never as scary as the original, and that right there, is the chief problem.”
Directed by Diya Annapurna Ghosh, the film has an IMDbrating of 7.4.
The Nandamuri Balakrishna-starrer has been directed by Boyapati Srinu and revolves around “a fierce devotee of Lord Shiva, who stands tall against evildoers,” according to IMDb.
According to Mukesh Manjunath of Film Companion, Akhanda has nothing new to offer in terms of storytelling, and is the kind of film “supposed to be vehicles of adrenaline pumping energy through the dialogues and actions of its leading man.”
For Sankeertana Varma of Firstpost, owing to Balakrishna’s god-like stature, “the viewer develops a robotic detachment with the proceedings knowing well that the hero will come out of it unharmed. Commerical or otherwise, it is just bad cinema.”
The film hascollected approximately Rs 15.35-15.40 crore (gross) in the Telugu states on its first day, Anupam Reddy, executive committee member of the Telangana State Film Chamber of Commerce, told Silverscreen India.
Interestingly, despite negative user reviews, the film has a current IMDbrating of 8.3.
For most of Bob Biswas, Abhishek Bachchan looks like an empty man. He stares at objects and people, his eyes giving away a misplaced sense of bafflement. Mind you, it is not the same confusion that his character, a hired killer struggling with memory loss, undergoes. Bachchan cannot hide that he, the actor beneath that hideous wig and oversized spectacles, does not empathise with Bob Biswas. He wanders through the film’s surface, sometimes like a parody of Saswata Chatterjee’s iconic portrayal of Biswas in Sujay Ghosh’s Kahaani(2012).
This is not to say that Bachchan, 45, is a subpar actor. He had delivered an enduring performance in Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyaan(2018), putting to use his innate introversion to bring to life the second fiddle in a tumultuous love story. Kashyap’s screenplay was loaded with emotional eruptions and dramatic moments that Bachchan could sink his teeth into. Here, in Bob Biswas, a prequel to Kahaani, directed by Diya Annapurna Ghosh and co-written by Ghosh, Bachchan is a lead actor with no substantial working material in hand.
Biswas, about to settle into peaceful family life with his wife (Chitrangada Singh), son and a step-daughter, is puzzled when a bunch of bad guys, who claim to be his former employers, approach him. The men, laughing sardonically, reveal to him that he had been an expert hired killer in the past, which Bob finds unbelievable. Later, he discovers fascinating secrets about himself, that he can assemble a gun and shoot a man to death without a twitch or much remorse. “Am I a good man or a bad one?” he asks his wife and a trusted few. None of the answers seems satisfactory.
The filmmakers convert this promising story thread into a crime drama in which there are no fascinating revelations about the people or their milieu but tone-deaf re-staging of familiar moments. Consider the opening scene where the movie establishes its core amoral universe. A peddler asks a young college-goer, desperate for an expensive drug, to slap an old passerby. As the young man executes the order, the camera turns towards the bad guys watching the scene from a distance, laughing at the man and the boy. The background turns goofy, interpreting the moment as a cheesy Bollywood gag.
The film grapples with an acute identity crisis, unable to decide whether Bob Biswas is an underdog or a mastermind criminal. The first few scenes of murder are interesting. Bob shudders when the men drop dead, as though he was not expecting the gun to fire. Immediately after the killings, he moves on. Somewhere in his brain, the sight of blood and dead bodies are registered as parts of a routine job. Enter a police officer who magically zeroes in on him as a murder suspect. The scenes of investigation are devoid of any charm or acumen. She goes around asking the suspects the most mundane questions as the viewer waits for a revelation to happen.
The film’s pivotal domestic moments are equally unimaginative. Biswas loves his wife who, as per an essential mainstream movie trope, is kind, pure and well, Chitrangada Singh-like gorgeous. A sub-character calls her ‘Mother Mary’ who can redeem and heal them all. Such a unidimensional and dull character could mean only one thing in our cinema – she is a tear-jerker device. Each family member has a personal problem – too typical to emotionally invest in – that Biswas would solve, albeit secretly.
The film makes Biswas wear that cloak of moral uprightness by claiming that he returned to the killing profession to keep his family safe. Later, he embraces his identity as a killer, again, for the family. Why not just say he returned to killing people because he liked it? An aversion towards fundamentally corrupt human minds must be a mainstream movie syndrome. The film refuses to dissect the delicious darkness of Saswata Chatterjee’s Bob Biswas. Instead, it turns him into a banal, readily discardable figure.
*****
This Bob Biswas 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 theatrical business booming once more, OTT platforms have begun picking up small-budget films and content targeted specifically for the streaming audience. Even big studios have started developing OTT content, including web series and experimental films. Yash Raj Films announced its maiden OTT project, The Railway Men, on Thursday.
On that note, here are seven films and shows releasing on streaming platforms this week:
Starring Samuthirakani, Pooja Kannan and Rima Kallingal, this Tamil film revolves around Aishwarya, a teenager, who goes missing after a compromising video gets leaked on social media. Her father Muthupandi needs to take the help of the local police to find her and the film follows his efforts to do so.
Based on a best selling novel, Cobalt Blue is a Hindi drama that follows a brother and sister who fall in love with the same man and tells the story of how their family is shattered by the ensuing events. Set in the early 90s, the film explores the various shades of love.
Money Heist (Season 5 Volume 2) – December 3 (Netflix)
“In the last few hours, I’ve lost people very dear to me. And I won’t let anyone else fall because of this heist,” says The Professor at the start of the trailer of Money Heist‘s Season 5 Volume 2. In the new part, The Professor is haunted by his actions and their fallout, while his heist team and the special forces prepare for all-out war inside the Royal Mint of Spain.
In this ZEE5 Original film, featuring Abhishek Bachchan and Chitrangada Singh, hitman-for-hire Bob Biswas comes out of a prolonged coma and struggles to recall his identity. He suffers a moral dilemma when the memories of his past resurface.
Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure: Stone Ocean – December 1 (Netflix)
The new season of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure revolves around Joutarou’s daughter Jolyne Kuujou who is thrown in jail for a crime she didn’t commit. Though all hope seems lost, a gift from Joutarou ends up awakening her latent abilities. Armed with the power to change her fate, Jolyne sets out to find an escape from the stone ocean that holds her.
Mixtape – December 3 (Netflix)
Mixtape is a family comedy film that narrates the story of a young girl who goes on a quest to find all of the songs from her mother’s beloved mix-tape that she accidentally destroyed.
Harlem – December 3 (Amazon Prime Video)
According to the official synopsis, Harlem is a new single-camera comedy show following four stylish and ambitious girl friends in Harlem, New York City. Together, they level up into the next phase of their careers, relationships, and big city dreams.
Yash Raj Films announced its maiden OTT project, The Railway Men, on Thursday. Starring actors R Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyenndu Sharma, and Babil Khan, the web series will premiere on December 2, 2022.
The series, which started filming on Wednesday, will be a tribute to the railway workers at Bhopal station during the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.
In the late hours of December 2, 1984, methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide factory owned by the American Union Carbide Corporation. More than half a million people were reportedly poisoned that night with the official death toll exceeding 5,000.
“The Bhopal gas tragedy is the world’s worst industrial disaster that has impacted scores of people since it struck the city 37 years ago. At YRF, we are constantly trying to develop the best compelling stories for the audience and this is our tribute to the unsung heroes of the tragedy who, despite saving thousands of lives on that fateful day, are still unknown to people across the world,” Akshaye Widhani, Senior Vice President of Yash Raj Films, said in a press release.
“The Railway Men is our salute to their spirit, their courage, and their humanity. This is a story that needed to be told. We are not going to leave any stone unturned to ensure that this story reaches out to audiences, across the world, in the best possible way so that they can understand the depth of devastation that this tragedy has caused in India,” added Yogendra Mogre, executive producer at YRF Entertainment.
The Railway Men marks the directorial debut of Shiv Rawail, who has previously worked as an assistant director on Yash Raj Films productions such as Dhoom 3 and Fan.
Earlier in November, it was announced that Aditya Chopra has earmarked Rs 500 crore for YRF’s OTT arm that will be called YRF Entertainment. The 50-year-old filmmaker and his studio have been working on floating the OTT venture for the past two years and have a total of five streaming series lined up over the upcoming year.
Meanwhile, YRF has several films set for release in theatres. Chopra also announced recently that he will make his Broadway directorial debut in Autumn 2022 with a Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayengemusical.
Prithviraj Sukumaran, the actor, director and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, will be directing and playing the lead role in an upcoming Hindi web series.
Yoodle Films, which is producing the project, made the announcement on social media on Tuesday. The production company said the web series is “inspired by the riveting life story of India’s Biscuit King, Rajan Pillai.”
Rajan Pillai was born in 1947, in Kerala. The popular businessman, who set up his base in Singapore in the 70s, later became one of the shareholders of Britannia Industries. However, in March 1993, Singapore’s Commercial Affairs Department charged him with multiple counts of breach of trust and fraud. Just before receiving a 14-year prison term, he fled to India in 1995 and died in police custody after being denied medical attention.
According to a Pinkvilla report, Prithviraj, speaking about playing Pillai in the upcoming web series, said, “The existence of light and darkness in human lives has always engaged me as an actor and director and this story has it all: ambition, success, a jet setting lifestyle and then a hubris-induced fall that took a man from the zenith of corporate power to the depravity of a prison cell. All this at the age of 47. Even though he passed away in 1995, his story serves as a relevant example of how the effects of success and power blur the line of morality. It will be very interesting to discover what made this charismatic personality tick and to relive his intriguing, complex life.”
Meanwhile, Prithviraj, who was last seen in a cameo role in Star, has a bunch of other projects in the pipeline, including Kaduva, Bro Daddy, Vilayath Buddha, and Lucifer’s sequel, Empuraan, which is expected to go on floors by mid-2022.
Earlier, the actor-filmmaker had revealed that there are discussions on remaking his directorial debut, Lucifer, as an eight-episode miniseries in Hindi.
Salman Khan’s Antim and Silambarasan TR’s Maanaadu were the two big releases to hit Indian theatres this past week. Antim was highly-anticipated since Khan’s last film Radhe took the digital route and released on ZEE5 Premium on a pay-per-view format. Maanaadu, on the other hand, suffered multiple delays before finally hitting cinemas.
John Abraham-starrer Satyameva Jayate 2 also released in cinemas on Friday.
On the other hand, Venkatesh Daggubati’s Drushyam 2, the Telugu remake of the Malayalam hit Drishyam 2, released on Amazon Prime Video, following the footsteps of the original. And post a successful theatrical run, Rajinikanth’s Annaatthe began streaming on Netflix and SunNXT, just three short weeks after its release on Diwali.
Maanaadu revolves around a time-loop and is all about the face-off between the characters played by Silambarasan and SJ Suryah, director Venkat Prabhu said during the pre-release event of the film.
The thriller has been widely praised by both the critics and the audience and Maanaaducollected around Rs 7.50 crore at the box office in Tamil Nadu on its opening day.
Nithya Gnanapandithan of Silverscreen India, wrote that the filmmaker, who “sticks to the central plot and only provides diversions of the quirky kind that mostly add to the entertainment without detracting from the core thriller,” is the real star of Maanaadu.
Ranjani Krishnakumar of Film Companionwrote, “This is perhaps the only film where the hero not trying hard enough can be entertaining.”
Srivatsan S of The Hindu, said that Venkat Prabhu “takes a mainstream Hollywood trope and converts it into a masala film, thereby making the final product look refined.”
All critics agreed that the film primarily excelled due to Prabhu’s writing that uses a science fiction trope to create an effective thriller.
Venkatesh Daggubati’s Drushyam 2 is the Telugu-language remake of Mohanlal’s Malayalam hit Drishyam 2.
The film marks the Telugu debut of filmmaker Jeethu Joseph, who also helmed the original. In a conversation with Silverscreen India, Jeethu revealed that he was in Hyderabad for the Telugu sequel’s script discussion on the day Drishyam 2 released.
The film takes off six years after the events in Drushyam and revolves around Rambabu’s attempts to save his family from a police investigation. Actor Meena, who plays Jyothi in the sequel, appeared as Rani George in Drishyam and its follow-up as well.
Critics commended the film for remaining faithful to the original with only minor changes, mainly owing to the lead.
For Mukesh Manjunath of Film Companion, Venkatesh’s Rambabu feels more playful than Mohanlal’s Georgekutty which “makes Rambabu’s plight more desperate. His plans to save his family seem more reactionary than Georgekutty’s cunning or genius schemes.” Manjunath added that the sequel is “stronger than its predecessor, directed by Sripriya, because it is more cinematic.”
Sankeertana Varma of Firstpost, wrote that the sequel is more methodical than it is emotional, and added, “It repeats the same threat, so the audience isn’t as involved as they were for the first instalment. But all those complaints vanish once you start looking at this film not as a sequel, but as the same film but from a different perspective.”
Salman Khan’s Antim follows the story of a cop in Mumbai, who tries to fight and stop the land mafia. The film also features Aayush Sharma and Mahima Makwana, among others. It is directed by Mahesh Manjrekar.
The film is the Hindi remake of the Marathi film Mulshi Pattern.
Anupama Chopra of Film Companion said the fatal flaw of Antim is that it keeps interrupting the main narrative to shore up its star. She added, “The trouble is that the film, already shouldering the burden of Salman, soon dissipates into a head-swirling saga of guns and goons.”
Udita Jhunjhunwala of Firstpost found Antim to be “a violent, testosterone filled crime drama where men shoot first and don’t even think later.”
The film has collected somewhere between Rs 4.25 to Rs 4.5 crore, and has struggled to garner footfall outside of Maharashtra.
Satyameva Jayate 2, written and directed by Milap Zaveri and starring John Abraham, is a spiritual sequel to their 2018 film Satyameva Jayate. It is a vigilante action thriller that revolves around the misuse of power in all spheres.
Anupama Chopra of Film Companion wrote that Satyameva Jayate 2 is more a showreel for Abraham’s body than a film. She notes that it could be viewed as a “tutorial on how not to make a movie” or as a “tour of the problems that plaque the country. Because Milap hasn’t really written a script. He’s stitched together assorted scenes that expose corruption, atrocities against women and children, venal politicians and policemen.”
For Tatsam Mukherjee of Firstpost, the film “is an ugly exhibition of appeasement filmmaking, where a director is trying to tick off as many boxes of the audience he can appease, using the most tired tropes in the history of Hindi cinema.”
The film collected between Rs 2.75 to Rs 3 crore on its first day, and around Rs 1.75-2 crore on the second.
Nushrratt Bharuccha’s Chhorii uses the horror genre to talk about female foeticide and infanticide.
As per the official synopsis, it is the story of a couple expecting their first child, who are forced out of their home and escape from the city to seek refuge in a house located deep inside sugarcane fields. The house is inhabited by an old couple who seem to know more than they tell.
The film is a remake of director Vishal Furia’s own Marathi film Lapachhapi. Furia told Silverscreen India that they have stuck to the soul of the original and added that a lot of attention has been paid to the film’s sets, costume design and colour scheme.
Anupama Chopra of Film Companion said the film, though well-intentioned, is dotted with logical fallacies and gets a bit stretched. However, she commended the director for getting the atmospherics right.
Manik Sharma of Firstpost, meanwhile, wrote that Chhorii “wants to be an eye-opening montage of patriarchal horrors but there is little that is spooky or spunky about this film that meanders, aimlessly for the most part, almost like the field it is set in.”
Thirteen years ago, on November 26, 2008, in a deadly terror attack in Mumbai, the financial capital of India, 166 civilians including several foreigners were gunned down and over 300 people were injured.
The terror attack that lasted four days was carried out by 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who entered Mumbai through waterways and spread to different crowded locations of the city including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Leopold Cafe, The Oberoi Trident, Nariman House, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Cama Hospital.
While nine terrorists were killed by the National Security Guard (NSG) and the Mumbai Police during the four-day attack, one terrorist, Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive. He was hanged on November 21, 2012.
Several stories from the terror attack have been adapted into films and shows over the years. On the thirteenth year since the attack, Silverscreen India lists seven films, documentaries and series based on the incident.
1. Mumbai Diaries 26/11 (2021)
Set against the backdrop of the Mumbai terror attacks, this Hindi web series tells the stories of the doctors, nurses, paramedics and hospital staff in Mumbai who stepped in when the city faced unprecedented danger. According to the official synopsis, the web series “pays homage to the frontline workers and celebrates the undying human spirit”. The series stars Konkana Sen Sharma, Mohit Raina, Tina Desai and Shreya Dhanwanthary among several others.
2. State of Siege: 26/11 (2020)
Based on Sandip Unnithan’s book Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11, this Hindi action thriller series tells the story of the terrorist attacks from the perspective of the NSG (National Security Guard) Commandoes who were called in to counter the attacks. The series stars Arjan Bajwa, Arjun Bijlani, Jyoti Gauba, Vivek Dahiya, Tara Alisha Berry Mukul Dev and Naren Kumar in pivotal roles.
3. Hotel Mumbai (2018)
Starring several Indian and international actors including Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Anupam Kher, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Jason Isaacs, Suhail Nayyar, Nagesh Bhosle, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo, this Indian-Australian-American co-production is inspired by the 2009 documentary Surviving Mumbai based on the attack at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. “Hotel staff risk their lives to keep everyone safe as people make unthinkable sacrifices to protect themselves and their families,” reads the synopsis of the film on IMDb.
4. One Less God (2017)
This thriller drama, said to be ‘inspired by true events’ is about a group of international travellers struggling to survive when terrorists attack a luxurious Indian hotel. The film stars Kabir Singh, Joseph Mahler Taylor, Sukhraj Deepak, Mihika Rao, Kieran Kumar, Nathan Kaye, Martelle Hammer, Reilly O’Byrne-Inglis among many others.
5. Taj Mahal(2015)
This French-Belgian thriller-drama film narrates the story of 18-year-old Louise who finds herself trapped in a room at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel during the attack.
6. The Attacks of 26/11 (2013)
Directed by Ram Gopal Verma, this Hindi action thriller film based on the 2008 terror attack stars Sanjeev Jaiswal in the role of terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Nana Patekar also plays a pivotal role in the film.
7. Surviving Mumbai (2009)
This documentary tells the story of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack as narrated by those who managed to survive it.
Recently, Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Public Health issued a circular to announce that theatres and other public places in the state can only be occupied by vaccinated people and proof of vaccination will required for entry into such premises.
On that note, here are seven films and shows releasing on OTT platforms this week:
1. Drushyam 2 (November 25) – Amazon Prime Video
According to the official synopsis, the sequel takes off from where the first film ended and deals with Rambabu (Venkatesh Daggubati) and his family, who are “threatened by an investigation into the events of the past”. Rambabu “strives to protect his family once again after their lives were altered irrevocably following the events of that one fateful night six years ago”.
2. Hawkeye (November 24) – Disney + Hotstar
Marvel superhero Hawkeye needs to get back to his family for Christmas. He teams up with another well-known archer from the Marvel comics, Kate Bishop, and the two need to unravel a criminal conspiracy.
3. Chhorii (November 26) – Amazon Prime Video Chhorii is a remake of the Marathi film Lapachhapi. According to the official synopsis, the film narrates the story of a young couple who after being forced out of their city home, seek shelter in a house inside a haunted sugarcane field. The housewife, eight months pregnant, must save her baby from the spirits.
4. Dil Bekaraar (November 26) – Disney + Hotstar
Set in the 1980s’, the film revolves around Debjani, an easygoing English newsreader. When she meets Dylan, a fiery journalist, it is results in a clash of ideals.
5. Elves (November 28) – Netflix
“Hoping to reconnect over Christmas, a family of four travel to a remote island in the Danish archipelago, only to find it controlled by members of a strongly religious community living in balance with fierce creatures in the woods revealed to be… elves,” reads the official synopsis of the film.
6. A Castle for Christmas (November 26) – Netflix
The film revolves around a bestselling author, who journeys to Scotland to escape a scandal. She falls in love with a castle and has to face off with the grumpy duke who owns it.
7. #Bro (November 26) – SonyLiv #Bro is the story about a young boy who finds purpose and happiness in being the elder brother to a loving sister. The film is the Telugu remake of the Marathi film, Happy Journey, and the Malayalam film, Koode.
Churuli, director Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Malayalam film which released on SonyLIV on Friday, stirred up some controversy over its usage of cuss words. And now, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has put out a statement noting that the version of Churuli that premiered on the OTT platform is not the certified copy of the film.
The film, starring Chemban Vinod Jose, Vinay Forrt, and Joju George, has received mixed reactions over its use of cuss words from the general public, political parties and social media users. While some say the language used in the film could be considered a part of the character portrayal which the context demanded, others feel it could have been avoided.
Meanwhile, CBFC Thiruvananthapuram’s Regional Officer Parvathy V said, in a statement, “It is hereby clarified for the kind information of the general public that the Malayalam feature film Churuli which is being exhibited via OTT platform SonyLIV is NOT the certified version of the film.”
The statement further adds that Churuli was certified A (adults only) with suitable excisions/modifications by CBFC in accordance with the Cinematograph Act of 1952, Cinematograph Certification Rules of 1983, and the guidelines issued by the government of India.
To understand the process of certification for OTT releases, Silverscreen India spoke to Jishnu Harindra Varma, director of No Man’s Land, which released recently on Amazon Prime Video with an ‘A’ certificate.
“No Man’s Land is an out-and-out dark film that features violence and drug usage. There are also a few cuss words,” Jishnu explains. “When we sent the film to CBFC, we requested ‘A’ certification as the content is meant for persons above the age of 18. The CBFC initially suggested a few minor changes, such as trimming the drug-making sequences and cutting out some cuss words. We removed those as per the suggestion and got the certification.”
Jishnu further adds that unlike other OTT platforms, Amazon Prime Video is concerned only accepts films with CBFC certification.
Pellissery’s Churuli is a fantasy mystery thriller based on the short story Kaligeminarile Kuttavalikal by Vinoy Thomas. The film’s screenplay is written by S Hareesh, who wrote the popular novel Meesha.
The film’s synopsis on SonyLIV reads: “Two undercover cops trailing a fugitive find themselves trapped in a perpetual labyrinth of a village. A lovely mysterious forest that, like a chameleon, changes its colours and lays hidden. People with smiling faces, harbouring a thousand secrets inside. Pathways stretched out from inside people to the forest and back. Labyrinths unfold from labyrinths. A road that extends boundless. The cops, losing track of time, wonder about the day they stepped into the village.”
Pellissery won a Special Mention for Best Direction at the 25th International Film Festival of Kerala for Churuli. The film also bagged the audience poll award (Silver Peacock).
Meanwhile, the cuss word issue is not the only controversy the film finds itself embroiled in. Followers of spiritual leader Subhananda Gurudeva staged a protest against Churuli by burning the film’s poster at Mannar in Alappuzha district. The protestors took issue with the use of the song Anandam Paramanandam Ente Kudumbam, written by Subhananda Gurudev, in the backdrop of a scene set in a toddy shop. They also allege that the makers used the song without the permission of Sree Subhananda Ashram.
Hellbound, the South Korean show that released on Netflix on Friday, dethroned Squid Game to become the streaming platform’s most popular show with 43 million hours of viewership, according to the weekly viewership data.
The six-episode show, created by Yeon Sang-ho and Choi Gyu-seok, is based on Sang-ho’s popular webtoon of the same name.
According to Netflix, Hellbound “tells the story of supernatural beings appearing and condemning people to hell, resulting in a religious group gaining prominence while others investigate the truth behind this strange phenomenon.”
Hellbound features actors Yoo Ah-in, Park Jeong-min, Kim Hyun-joo, Won Jin-a, Yang Ik-june, Kim Do-yoon, Kim Shin-rock, and Ryu Kyung-soo.
Earlier, Squid Game topped the streaming charts for nine weeks since its release in September. It became Netflix’s biggest title ever and amassed over 142 million household views in the first four weeks of its release, with the majority of views coming from outside its home market. It also ranked as the streamer’s top show in 94 countries, including the US.
Squid Game is written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, who has films like Miss Granny (remade in Telugu as Oh Baby! with Samantha Akkineni) to his credit. The director recently confirmed a second season for the show.
While the survival game show continues to be the most-watched show ever on Netflix, with 1.6 billion hours of viewership, Hellbound seems to have surpassed it in terms of the 24-hour metric.
According to FlixPatrol, Hellbound became Netflix’s most-watched show on Saturday, a day after its release. It topped the streaming charts in over 80 countries.
Netflix’s data also saw Red Notice break into the ‘Most Popular Netflix English Films’ list and take the second spot behind Bird Box after amassing 277 million hours of views. Bird Box tops the list with 282 million hours of views.
Other English films to feature in the Top 10 list this week included The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star, Christmas Flow, and Love Hard. Meanwhile, Just Short of Perfect, 7 Prisoners, Dhamaka, Prayers for the Stolen, Love Me Instead, and the anime film Earwig and the Witch featured in the non-English language Top 10 films list.
On November 15, the hashtag #WeStandWithSuriya began trending on Twitter with prominent film personalities and the public expressing solidarity with actor-producer Suriya, who had recently come under the scanner for his film Jai Bhim.
Written and directed by TJ Gnanavel, the film is produced by Suriya’s 2D Entertainment. While it received acclaim from several quarters and even surpassed The Shawshank Redemption (1994) to become the highest-rated movie on IMDB, Jai Bhim has seemingly offended a few sections.
Silverscreen India breaks down the various controversies that the film has stirred up since its release on November 2.
What is the film about?
Jai Bhim was released on Amazon Prime Video as part of 2D Entertainment’s four-film deal with the streaming platform. The film features Suriya as a lawyer who fights for justice for people from the Irular tribal community. Also starring Lijomol Jose, Rajisha Vijayan, and Prakash Raj, it deals with the police brutality and custodial deaths that the community faced. The film is based on a real-life case fought by retired Madras High Court Justice K Chandru, when he was an advocate in the 90s.
It is also notable that the term ‘Jai Bhim’ is a slogan used by followers of BR Ambedkar, who fought against the economic and social discrimination of marginalised communities, particularly Dalits.
Criticism from the Vanniyars:
Vanniyars, a caste group in Tamil Nadu, took offence to a scene set at the antagonist police officer’s house, that showed a calendar with a fire urn – a symbol that is said to denote the Vanniyar community. While some took to social media and questioned if the symbol was necessary, others termed it a “deliberate mistake” and an “indirect attack” on the community. It is to be noted that Anbumani Ramadoss, leader of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a political party that represents the Vanniyar caste, has a tattoo of the symbol in question on his arm. The members of the caste believe that the community was born out of fire and thus, the fire urn is their symbol.
Screenshot from the film (before and after)
Soon after, the makers of Jai Bhim digitally altered the symbol on the calendar to an image of the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi. Despite this, Anbumani put out a four-page statement alleging that the film has deliberately shown the community in bad light. He put forth nine questions regarding the film, including why the bad cop was named Gurumoorthy – a name that resembles that of “one of the frontline leaders” of the Vanniyar Sangam – when, in the real case, his name was Anthony Samy.
Suriya’s reply:
In his reply to Anbumani, Suriya clarified that the film is a fictitious take on real events and pointed out that it carries a disclaimer to that effect as well. Adding that unintentional errors had been corrected (referring to the modification of the calendar design), the actor said, “I agree with you that no one has the right to insult any community or group in the name of creative freedom. Likewise, I hope you will agree that creative freedom should also be safeguarded from threats.”
With regard to the name of the cop character, Suriya said, “A journalist had mentioned that the same name hints at another community. If we keep second-guessing like this when it comes to antagonistic characters, there will be no end to it. Such ‘name politics’ will only distract those who must come together to fight injustice.”
Vanniyar Sangam issues notice:
Unsatisfied with Suriya’s reply, Vanniyar Sangam’s state president, Pu Tha Arulmozhi issued a legal notice to the makers of Jai Bhim for “criminal and civil defamation.” The organisation, founded by S Ramadoss in 1980, demanded that the makers tender an “unconditional apology,” remove “defamatory scenes” from the film, and also pay Rs 5 crore as damages. The legal notice named 2D Entertainment, Suriya and his wife, actor Jyothika, TJ Gnanavel, and Amazon Prime Video.
The Vanniyar Sangam also wrote to the Directorate of Film Festivals, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the Information and Public Relations Department, asking them not to consider Jai Bhim, for any recognition or appreciation. The letter cited various scenes in the film that were “defamatory” and that intended to “cause disrepute” to the community. The letter also stated that certain scenes were “deliberately included with a view to creating communal disharmony.”
The organisation also filed a complaint with a court in Chidambaram, under section 199 (6) of the Criminal Procedure Code for Offences and under sections 153, 153A (1), 499, 500, 503 and 504 of the IPC.
Criticism from other factions:
Vanniyars were not the only ones who had a problem with the film.
Earlier, the film took heat for a scene involving actor Prakash Raj’s character slapping another for speaking in Hindi. Certain sections of social media said it showed “hate” for the Hindi language. Responding to the issue, Prakash Raj, in an interview with News9, said, “After watching a film like Jai Bhim, they did not see the agony of the tribal people, they did not see and feel terrible about the injustice, they saw only the slap. That is all they understood; this exposes their agenda.”
Members of Kuravar community protesting outside Suriya’s house
Later, members of the Kuravar tribe protested outside Suriya’s residence in Chennai claiming that the film showed their community in a poor light. Demanding that the offending scenes be removed, about 10 to 12 members of the community, each with a green cloth tied over their mouth, protested in ankle-deep water amid the rains in Chennai on November 11.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Sampath, the general secretary of the youth wing of the Kallakurichi Malaikuravar Adivasi Nala Sangam, had said, “At the beginning of the film, there is a scene that takes place outside a jail, where a member of the Kuravar community is assumed to be a thief by a policeman. This amounts to saying that Kuravars are thieves. To oppose this, we staged a non-violent protest in front of Suriya’s house.”
The protesters also questioned why the protagonist Rajakannu, who was a Kuravar in real life, has been portrayed as an Irular in the film. “While Rajakannu is shown as an Irular, Kuravars shown as thieves,” said another member during the protest.
The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce also released a statement in support of Suriya. The body expressed disappointment with the continuous criticism the actor was subjected to over the film.
Earlier, speaking to Silverscreen India, film observer and writer Stalin Rajangam had said, “What we need to observe is the pattern of controversies that are thrown at films like these that talk about the oppressed.”
“Jai Bhim is playing a big role in spreading this necessary message about how the oppressed are treated in society,” said J Balasubramaniam, a faculty member of the journalism and science department at Madurai Kamaraj University. “Just keeping a title like Jai Bhim, that too for a film headlined by a popular star, is itself quite progressive for Tamil cinema, which has had films named after castes in the past.”
Associations such as Tamil Film Active Producers Association and Tamil Nadu Movie Makers Sangam also expressed support for Suriya.
This apart, several tribal communities, such as Kattunayakan, Sholaga, Adiyan, Kanikkar, gathered in Madurai on November 22, to show their solidarity for the actor. They also thanked Suriya for highlighting their plight with the film.
Santhanam’s statement and the counter hashtag:
Even as the #WeStandWithSuriya hashtag took over Twitter, an opposing section of social media users began trending the hashtags #WeStandWithSanthanam and #SuriyaAgainstVanniyars, after comedian-actor Santhanamcommented on the controversy during a press meet for his film Sabhaapathy.
When asked for his view on the issue, Santhanam, who is considered an ally of the PMK party, said it is not right to portray one group of people in a poor light in order to glorify others. However, he did so without taking the names of Suriya, Vanniyars or the PMK. It is to be noted that Santhanam had, in September, expressed his elation upon meeting S Ramadoss, Anbumani’s father and the founder of PMK, at a family wedding.
Threats and Protection:
The Mayiladuthurai district secretary of PMK, Sitthamalli A Palanisamy, meanwhile, announced a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh for anyone who would assault Suriya when the actor visited the district. The group also stopped screenings of another Suriya-starrer, the 2007 film Vel, in a theatre in Mayiladuthurai. Following this, a team of armed police personnel was deployed at the actor’s house for protection.
Statements from the Jai Bhim team:
While majority of the Jai Bhim team stood together, two statements from the team members are to be highlighted – one in support and the other opposed.
Jai Bhim Movie Stills Starring Suriya
Director Gnanavel released a statement expressing regret over the controversies his film had caused and said it was not right to drag Suriya into them. Referring to the calendar scene, the director said its intention was simply to refer to the time period (90s) and not to symbolise any community.
On the other hand, Kanmani Gunasekaran, who served as a dialogue writer for Jai Bhim, expressed disappointment and said he returned the Rs 50,ooo that he received as payment for working on the film. In a Facebook post, he mentioned that Gnanavel approached him to pen the dialogues with a native touch, but said he was unaware of the calendar scene. He said that his sentiments were hurt when he found out.
There have been no updates on the legal cases filed over Jai Bhim.
Like its predecessor, Drishyam 2is being remade in several languages. This is because of the universality of the subject, says the film’s writer and director Jeethu Joseph.
In conversation with Silverscreen India ahead of the release of Drushyam 2: The Resumption, the Telugu adaption of the Malayalam film, director Jeethu speaks about making his Telugu debut with the sequel, the appeal of the Drishyam franchise, and his upcoming projects.
“The father-daughter relationship and family emotions shown in the Drishyam franchise are universal. These emotions are the same all over the world. Moreover, the story is about a common man’s fight against the system and people like to watch this. I believe this is why there are so many remakes of the two films,” says Jeethu.
The Telugu remake of first part, titled Drushyam, was directed by actor-filmmaker Sripriya.
On how he came to don the director’s hat for the sequel’s adaptation and thus make his Telugu debut, Jeethu recounts that after the producers bought the Drishyam 2’s remake rights, they told him that Sripriya would not be directing it. Later, they expressed interest in having Jeethu helm the Telugu sequel.
“This happened before the release of Drishyam 2, while that film’s post-production was still going on. I had sent the Telugu producers the English version of the script and they had also watched the Malayalam sequel without the music. They really liked it and that’s how the project happened,” he says.
“In fact, on the day of Drishyam 2’s release, I was in Hyderabad for the Telugu sequel’s script discussion,” he adds.
‘Drushyam 2’ still
In adapting the sequel for the Telugu audience, the director says some minor changes to the premise and structure of the film have been made without modifying the core content.
“Though Drushyam 2’s plot is essentially the same as that of Drishyam 2, there is a sizeable Telugu audience that has not watched the Malayalam version and is waiting to watch the sequel in their own language. Besides, there is Venkatesh’s fan base as well who want to watch their hero’s film,” says the filmmaker.
Jeethu reveals that he enjoyed working with Venkatesh and adds that he found him to be a very professional and cooperative actor. “I’m looking forward to working with him in the future as well.”
Drushyam 2 was shot in parts of Hyderabad and Kerala. The filmmaker notes that shooting the film during Covid-19 pandemic was not difficult thanks to their previous experience of filming the Malayalam version in similar conditions. “We followed the same pattern.”
Speaking about the massive response for the Drishyam franchise, Jeethu says never, even in his dreams, had he imagined that it would have such a huge reach beyond language and cultural barriers. He also reveals that after finishing the first part he did not originally consider making a sequel.
‘Drushyam 2’ still
“Later, many fans started sending me potential sequel stories and my producer Antony [Perumbavoor] too encouraged me to give it a try. So in 2015, I started thinking about the sequel. The biggest challenge was to maintain the characterisation and ensure continuity. By 2016, I had a basic framework in mind and after that, I consulted with some police officers and forensic doctors as part of my research. I started writing the Drishyam 2 script in 2019.”
Asked about his other upcoming projects, Jeethu reveals that the shooting of his Malayalam film 12th Man, starring Mohanlal, has been completed and the post-production is underway. He says the film will be ready by the end of January or the beginning of February, next year.
His other Mohanlal-starrer Ram, which also features Trisha Krishnan, began filming in 2019 but was stalled in the wake of Covid-19. “We have some locations outside India in the UK and Arab countries. So we are thinking of resuming the shoot by the middle of next year,” says Jeethu.
“Apart from that, one more film is under discussion. It is a small one with new generation actors and the film’s script is written by 12th Man’s scenarist [KR Krishna Kumar],” he adds.
While films like Sooryavanshi and Annaatthe that released for Diwali continue to rake in collections at the box office, movies that came out since then have not made as big a mark. However, the Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth starrers brought the audiences back to cinemas in large numbers and definitely helped reassure producers, many of whose films are set for theatrical releases in December.
Kartik Aaryan‘s Dhamaka is based on the 2013 Korean film The Terror Live. “When a cynical ex-TV news anchor gets an alarming call on his radio show, he sees a chance for a career comeback – but it may cost him his conscience,” reads Netflix’s official synopsis.
For Sinndhuja of Silverscreen India, while the film follows an inconceivable and entirely irrational sequence of events, “Dhamaka’s strength lies in its pacing, and not dwelling on a plot feature for a moment longer than it needs to.” She felt the story, though improbable, provides quick, undemanding entertainment.
Anupama Chopra of Film Companion felt the film is essentially a vehicle for Aaryan to “show that he can do more than deliver monologues with aplomb.” She appreciated the actor for stepping out of his boy-next-door comfort zone and showing flashes of seriousness and depth that he hasn’t revealed before. However, the film, she found, has scenario that is too outlandish and writing, too ordinary.
Devansh Sharma of Firstpostreflected similar views and called the film a one-man show. He added that the film is “hurried, dramatic, and loud, and ends up being like the monster it is trying to kill.”
Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India found the film predictable yet enjoyable. “Aaha manages to strike a delicate balance in its narrative that most sports dramas miss,” she wrote.
However, she added that it is set in a predominantly male universe, where woman and their woes are invisible.
The sequel to the 2005 film Bunty Aur Babli revolves around the titular pair, who “are forced out of retirement after a spate of robberies with their trademark sigil start appearing across India,” according toIMDb.
The Varun Sharma directorial stars Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Siddhant Chaturvedi, and Sharvari. While the first part featured Abhishek Bachchan as Bunty, Khan replaced him in Bunty Aur Babli 2.
Anupama Chopra of Film Companion said that while the film has a clever set up with enough potential to create a franchise, the actors have little to work with. “The plot is repetitive and the dialogue forgettable,” she wrote.
Devansh Sharma of Firstpost, wrote that the film is “sincere in its attempt to keep the brand alive and continue the narrative organically. But it chooses to ignore all the signs, all the red flags, and decides to cover them up under a flashy exterior.”
The critical response to the film was also reflected its performance at the box-office. Bunty Aur Babli 2 opened to poor collections of only Rs 2.5 to 2.75 crores on Friday, according to a Box Office Indiareport. Its day two collection remained the same. Though films starring Mukerji typically do well in West Bengal, this film did not fare nearly as well in the state as the actor’s previous films like Hichki and Mardaani 2.
Santhanam-starrer Sabhaapathy revolves around “a man with a speech impairment who wants to get a girl, and tries to to fight for it,” according to IMDb.
Ranjani Krishnakumar of Film Companionwrote that the film’s main problem lies in its underdeveloped characters. Despite some poignant moments, she found that “the film is so uncomfortable with vulnerability that it immediately throws everything in the air and breaks the rhythm.”
Sudhir Srinivasan of The New Indian Express, reflected similar views and wrote that while the film pretends to be sensitive about Sabhaapathy’s speech disability, “we only need to examine its treatment of other types of vulnerabilities to understand whether it truly cares.”
“When a high-profile murder rocks Chennai, the police are baffled by brutality of the crime. The only person who can help them is someone who has given up as a cop,” reads Disney+ Hotstar’s official synopsis.
According to Ranjani Krishnakumar of Film Companion, the film’s protagonist is an addition to the “long line of men in uniform with an insatiable god-complex.” Calling the film “unwatchable,” she noted that while it deals with the topic of sexual violence against women, it hardly has any women characters who contribute to the plot.
Ashameera Aiyappan of Firstpost too questioned the glorification of the policeman and “his arbitrary mode of vigilante justice.” She added that the writing is so listless that the unnecessary songs felt like welcome breaks.
Apart from the aforementioned films, Arun Vijay‘s Borrder also released in cinemas. And Kristen Stewart-starrer Spencer, directed by Pablo Larrain, was one of the few Hollywood releases this past week.
Discovery has commissioned a two-part documentary series on the breakdown of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s relationship and their subsequent legal battle. The series has been titled Johnny vs Amber.
According to a report by Variety, the documentary will be produced as a double bill with each film told from one of their viewpoints. It will feature interviews and testimonies from the actors’ lawyers and close aides, and also examine the footage and audio recordings filmed by the former couple.
Johnny vs Amber is expected by released on Discovery+. It will be executive produced by Nick Hornby and Fran Baker for Optomen production company and by Matt Reid for Discovery.
Hornby, co-CEO at Optomen, said, “Through the tapes, home videos and text messages shown in court, these films will give viewers a rare and important insight into a marriage that went tragically wrong, to better understand the hugely important issue of domestic violence.”
Heard and Depp got married in 2015 after dating for three years. In 2016, Heard filed for divorce stating that Depp was abusive. While their divorce was finalised in January 2017, the two have been engaged in a prolonged legal battle.
Earlier, in 2020, Depp lost a libel case against the British tabloid Sun for labelling him a “wife-beater” in a 2018 article. In addition to rejecting his case, British High Court Justice Andrew Nicol also found that 12 of the 14 alleged domestic violence incidents did occur. The judge ruled that Depp had assaulted Heard on these occasions and put her in “fear for her life” three times.
Following this verdict, Depp was asked to resign from The Fantastic Beasts franchise. In an interview with The Sunday Times in 2021, the actor alleged that Hollywood was boycotting him.
Meanwhile, despite a social media campaign by Depp’s fans to oust Heard from the upcoming DC superhero movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the producer of the film said he had no plans to remove her from the franchise. Heard will thus reprise her role as Mera in the sequel to 2017’s Aquaman.
Speaking about the newly commissioned documentary series, Clare Laycock, Discovery’s senior vice president for planning and insights and head of entertainment, said, “The series provides an in-depth insight into the epic battle that powered #JusticeforJohnnyDepp and #IStandWithYouAmberHeard fan campaigns and the very public High Court case that gripped us all.”
On the occasion of World Television Day, the eternal question of television’s role in the sphere of communication crops up once again. Despite the multitude of changes in the way people consume content, television continues to be the single largest source of video entertainment.
So, in acknowledgment of its significance, Silverscreen India has picked eight movies and shows that highlight the inner workings of television networks from a variety of genres. Some are funny, some are thought-provoking, but all of them ultimately capture the true essence of television – entertainment.
Starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, this drama series is about Alex Levy (Aniston), a popular news anchor whose job is on the line after her partner of 15 years is fired for sexual misconduct. As the host of a breakfast news program, she struggles to retain her position and power while also accepting her new co-host Bradley (Witherspoon).
The Morning Show is a hard-hitting series about the professional dynamics inside the modern workplace and real-life political issues told through the eyes of a news anchor.
Episodes (2011-2017)
This sitcom is about a British couple who move to Hollywood to remake their hit show Lyman’s Boys for the American audience. However, they begin to feel disillusioned when they find out that the network remaking their show has hired former Friends star, Matt LeBlanc, to play the lead role. Feeling that he is unsuited for the role, they are also taken aback by the changes that he makes to his character and the show.
Episodes is a fun look into the workings of a sitcom with quirky characters, bizarre relationship turns, and LeBlanc playing a fictionalised and over-the-top version of himself.
The Truman Show (1998)
Directed by Peter Wier, this 1998 psychological comedy-drama is about Truman (Jim Carrey), an ordinary upbeat man who discovers that his life is actually a reality show. From his neighbours to his family, he realises that everyone is an actor and every move of his is caught by hidden cameras. With an elaborate set and religious product placement, Truman’s entire life is constructed and controlled by the megalomaniacal director Christoff (Ed Harris).
The Truman Show is a thought-provoking and heartfelt take on the concept of reality TV and is especially relevant today with such shows dominating the television space.
Morning Glory (2010)
A recently-fired news producer (Rachel McAdams) ends up with the task of turning around a morning show of a virtually unknown network. To boost ratings, she manages to get a veteran journalist Mike (Harrison Ford) to help achieve this task. However, he is less than thrilled and tries to do everything in his power to sabotage the show.
Morning Glory may have a derivative story but its star cast and light plot make it a breezy watch.
The Critic (1994-1995)
Credits: Fox
In this animated show, Jon Lovitz voices the fictional film critic Jay Sherman. Known for being elitist and hard-to-please, Jay tears apart movies with his signature line “It Stinks!” on his show Coming Attractions.
The Critic is famous for its movie references and parody of famous personalities like Howard Stern and Roger Egbert. While it is best known as a satire on the entertainment industry, the show’s comedy is also dependent on Jay’s personal life.
30 Rock (2006-2013)
Credits: NBC Universal
A Primetime Emmy Award-winning comedy show, 30 Rock was created by Tina Fey. Liz Lemon (Fey) is a successful Hollywood screenwriter of a comedy sketch series called TGS with Tracy Jordan. Despite her experience and success, her everyday battles include working under her conservative boss Jack (Alec Baldwin), her best friend Jenna’s (Jane Krakowski) obsession with becoming a big actress, and the sketch’s unpredictable star Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan).
Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019)
After the success of his satirical talk show of the same name, Netflix ordered a spin-off movie where Zach Galifianakis hits the road to conduct celebrity interviews after going viral on the internet for ‘drowning’ Matthew McConaughey. Between Two Ferns: The Movie not only sees multiple celebrities such as Paul Rudd, Awkwfina, and David Letterman making appearances, it also captures the hilarious relationship between Galifianakis and his camera crew.
Network (1976)
Credits: MGM via Photofest
Starring Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch, and William Holden, this critically-acclaimed satirical black comedy-drama film is about ratings-hungry television networks. It revolves around a news anchor (Finch) who threatens to commit suicide on-air after finding out that he is being phased out. However, his on-screen rant causes ratings to rise, and the programming chief Diane (Dunaway) decides to exploit this and create a new program that is even more outrageous.
Directed by Sidney Lumet, Network was widely praised upon release and went on to win four Oscars – Best Actress for Dunaway, Best Actor for Finch, Best Supporting Actress (Beatrice Straight) and Best Original Screenplay (Paddy Chayefsky).
Mandaar, the new Bengali web series starring actors Debasish Mondal and Sohini Sarkar, is an adaptation of the William Shakespeare tragedy Macbeth, said actor Anirban Bhattacharya, who is making his directorial debut with the series, in conversation with Silverscreen India.
The web series premiered on Friday on the Bengali OTT platform Hoichoi in its new World Classics category.
“Mandaar is my perspective of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth,” said Bhattacharya, speaking to Silverscreen India at the trailer launch of the show held at Kolkata’s Gyan Manch on November 8.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, three witches tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death.
Mandaar, meanwhile, is the story of fishermen based in the vast shoreline of the World of Geilpur. The trailer describes the series as “a story of passion painted in blood” in a “rotten” world, “where love is defeated, where greed and desires win, where honour and friends are lost, where men are fooled by power.”
The series stars several theatre actors, including Debashish Mondal as Mandaar (Macbeth), Sohini Sarkar as Laili (Lady Macbeth), Debesh Roy Chowdhury asDabluBhai (King Duncan) and Anirban Bhattacharya as police officer Muqaddar Mukherjee.
Photo Source: Hoichoi Twitter
Speaking about adapting a Western play from the 1600s for the Bengali audience in the 21st century, Bhattacharya said, “After so many years and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, people are now used to the core ideas and so they expect a change from the makers.”
One of the changes to the original in Mandaar has to do with the witches. While two of the three witches are played by Sajal Mondal and Sudeep Dhara, the third is represented by a cat named Kala.
However, Bhattacharya noted that the plot has not been changed substantially. “Without changing the plot, Mandaar shows how the people of today go through the same situation. And how they react to the same circumstances is what’s new in this series.”
“Since these plays deal with greed, envy, pain, tragedy – all of which exist in society still – they remain relevant. Shakespeare’s plays are mostly based on human instincts and not on any political scenario that changes with time,” Bhattacharya added.
On why he chose a web series to make his directorial debut with, Bhattacharya said it is the perfect platform for his adaptation of Macbeth.
Mondal, who plays the titular role, shared with Silverscreen India what it was like to play such an intense role in his debut project. “Since we had very little time to complete shooting the series, we did not get multiple shots for a scene and had to deliver single-shot scenes. That was the biggest challenge.”
“But, good work can also come from very limited resources and Mandaar is an example of that,” he added.
Mondal, a long-time theatre actor, also noted that this was his first time playing a fisherman. Since the character hails from a particular geographical area, which has a unique style of living, eating and speaking, he had to put in some research on these aspects.
However, that was the only preparation Mondal had time for given the tight shooting schedule. The actor added that he picked up and became adept at the unique dialect of the fishermen in the Purba Medinipur area of West Bengal by observing and mingling with them during the process of shooting itself.
About Bhattacharya, with whom Mondal has previously worked on the stage, the lead actor said, “As a debutant filmmaker, he was well prepared. He had a clarity about his vision and was able to communicate it exactly, so the experience was great.”
Speaking during the trailer launch, Sarkar said, “I had always eyed the character of Lady Macbeth and it is even more special when your friend and long time co-actor chooses you for his directorial debut.”
Mandaar was shot in a short span of around two weeks on the shores of Mandarmani and Tajpur in West Bengal.
Cinema halls across the country are witnessing the return of audiences in large numbers and the makers of several major films like Akhanda, Thali Pogathey, Skylab, and Pushpa – The Rise, have announced their theatrical releases in December.
At the same time, many new films and shows are also releasing on OTT platforms. Here are seven new titles you can stream from this week.
Kartik Aaryan plays a frustrated former news anchor named Arjun Pathak in this drama-thriller. The film follows Pathak as he ends up having a conversation with a mysterious terrorist who blows up a portion of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The terrorist and the anchor converse live on television and during the course of the interview, the former raises demands. With the series of ups and downs that follow, the anchor must choose between his career and humanity.
Starring actor-choreographer-filmmaker Prabhu Deva in the titular role, this Tamil film is touted as an emotional action thriller. In an earlier conversation with Silverscreen India, director AC Mugil Chellappan said Prabhu Deva’s character is inspired by a real-life IPS officer named Ponn Manickavel, who was posted in Salem during the time the filmmaker studied there. “He was known as a strict officer and made an impact on me then. Prabhu Deva and I were initially looking to work on another project, but that did not take off. So then, I narrated a line of this script to him and that’s how it all started,” he added.
Churuli is a Malayalam fantasy film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery. According to the streaming platform, the film follows a few people who go in search of a man named Mayiladuparambil Joy and get trapped in a terrifying time loop in this sci-fi/horror tale of insanity, fear and aliens. The film stars Chemban Vinod Jose, Vinay Forrt, and Joju George.
This Telugu film starring Sangeeth Shoban, Simran Sharma, and Tulasi is a comedy-drama that follows Mahesh and his mother, who embark on an adventurous journey filled with hilarious situations as they try to make quick money to repay a huge loan.
5. The Princess Switch 3: Romancing The Star (Netflix) – November 18
The third film in The Princess Switch series, which was first released in 2019, stars actors Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio. The second part of this Christmas romantic comedy franchise was released in 2020. The synopsis of the latest instalment reads, “When a priceless relic is stolen, Queen Margaret and Princess Stacy enlist the help of Margaret’s audacious look-alike cousin Fiona who teams with a dashing, mysterious man from her past to retrieve it rekindling the sparks of a tantalizing Christmas romance and resulting in a very unexpected switch.”
6. tick, tick… BOOM! (Netflix) – November 19
Pulitzer and Tony Award-winner Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature directorial debut with tick, tick…BOOM! It is an adaptation of the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, who revolutionised theatre as the creator of Rent. The film follows Jon, a young theatre composer who waits tables at a New York City diner in 1990 while writing what he hopes will be the next great American musical. On the brink of turning 30, he navigates love, friendship and the pressure to create something great before time runs out.
7. A Boy Called Christmas (Netflix) – November 24
Directed by Gil Kenan and adapted from the bestselling book by Matt Haig, A Boy Called Christmas revolves around a determined young boy named Nikolas, who meets his destiny in a magical land inhabited by elves, while on a quest to find his father – and bring home the gift of hope.
Dancer Raghav Juyal, the host of Dance Deewane 3, has issued a clarification after getting called ‘racist’ for his behaviour on the show. In a video on Instagram, Juyal urged everyone to watch the entire show and not judge him based on a short clip.
On Tuesday, a short video clip of around 40 seconds from Dance Deewane 3 went viral on social media. In it, Juyal speaks in parody ‘Chinese’ using words like “momo” and “chowmein” while introducing a contestant who hails from Guwahati, Assam. The clip resulted in much outrage on social media.
Calling it “unacceptable,” Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted, “It has come to my notice that a popular reality show host has used racist rhetoric against a young participant from Guwahati. This is shameful and totally unacceptable. Racism has no place in our country and we should all condemn it unequivocally.”
Prodyot Manikya Deb Barma Bahadur, the current head of Tripura’s Royal family, a political activist and the editor of TNT-The Northeast Today, also shared the clip and expressed his anger at the audience laughing and applauding Juyal’s monologue. “What angers me is that this third rate comedian is not just comparing us Northeastern people to the Chinese, but look at the way the audience is laughing and clapping at this terrible joke! And then people question why we feel that we are not part of the mainstream?”
A screenshot from Dance Deewane 3 featuring Gunjan with Raghav Juyal. Photo Source: Raghav Juyal Instagram
Soon after the backlash, Juyal took to Instagram to clarify with a video addressed to “all my NORTH EASTERN friends.” In this video, he says that “being called racist” is affecting his mental health and that of his close ones. He adds that the viral clip is only a short edit from a very big show and urges everyone to watch the entire show, including the previous episodes, before judging. He explains that when Gunjan had initially come to the show, they had asked what other hobbies she had aside from dancing, and she had answered that she likes speaking ‘Chinese’. That is where it all began, Juyal claims.
He also shared a video from an older episode where actor Madhuri Dixit, a judge on the show, is seen asking Gunjan what she likes other than dance and the child says she likes speaking “Chinese” and goes on to speak in gibberish.
Later, on Tuesday, Gunjan’s father confirmed the same when speaking to Guwahati Plus. He said the reason behind Juyal’s introduction was simply his daughter’s earlier mention that she spoke Chinese. He also clarified that it was not a racist move by the host.
Even as cinemas are slowing recovering from the pandemic’s blow following the release of big-banner films like Sooryavanshi and Annaatthe on the occasion of Diwali, movies continue to premiere online as well. Jai Bhim was recently released on Amazon Prime Video, while Meenakshi Sundareshwar premiered on Netflix.
Last week, meanwhile, saw scant releases in comparison to the first week of November. However, cinemas continue to prosper thanks to films like Kurup.
The Malayalam film was initially supposed to premiere on Amazon Prime Video, but was later changed to a theatrical release based on a request to the makers from theatre owners, film exhibitors’ association President K Vijayakumar earlier toldSilverscreen India.
Kurup received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen Indiawrote that the film is tailor-made to suit the tastes of the younger section of the audience. Though she felt Kurup used “lazy, broad strokes” in its depiction of the protagonist’s mindscape, she added that the heart of the film, a scene where some men conspire and commit a heinous crime, is brilliantly staged and shot.
Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpost, on the other hand, wrote that the film provides greater clarity than Adoor Gopalakrishnan‘s 2016 film Pinneyum (2016) (loosely inspired by Kurup’s story) in its assessment of the protagonist’s character, and that Salmaan’s casting as Kurup contributes considerably to this.
Vishal Menon of Film Companion, meanwhile, was of the opinion that the biggest risk that the director takes with Kurup is the way he’s chosen to structure its screenplay.
Kurup released in cinemas across India on Friday, November 12. It has collected about Rs 7 crore at the box office in the first two days of release in its main territory, Kerala, Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala’s General Secretary Sumesh Joseph Manarcaud toldSilverscreen India.
The film is running in 505 screens across the state.
The Malayalam film revolves around a constantly-bickering married couple, played by Pauly and Grace Antony, who arrive at a hotel, according to IMDb.
Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India said in her review, “Ratheesh does a good job of setting up the ground for comedy, but he fails to flesh out the characters and create a dynamic narrative sprinkled with natural humour.”
Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companionwrote that although the film feels inconsistent, it has an organic quality.
Anna MM Vetticad of Firstpostreflected similar sentiments, and wrote that while the film comprises fantastic actors, it “misses a great script and that X Factor that is essential to elicit laughs.”
Vanniyar Sangam’s state president, Pu Tha Arulmozhi, issued a legal notice on Monday to the makers ofJai Bhim for “criminal and civil defamation,” alleging that the Suriya-starrer shows their community in a poor light.
The organisation has demanded that the makers tender an “unconditional apology,” remove “defamatory scenes” from the film, and also pay Rs 5 crore as damages.
The legal notice names 2D Entertainment, which produced the film; the banner’s founder Suriya and his wife, actor Jyothika; the film’s director TJ Gnanavel; and the platform it is streaming on, Amazon Prime Video.
Jai Bhim, which is Suriya’s 39th film, was released on the OTT platform on November 2. In it, the actor plays a lawyer who fights for justice for people from the Irular tribal community. The film, which deals with topics such as caste inequality and police brutality, is inspired by a real case from the 90s fought by Justice Chandru at the Madras High Court.
The film recently surpassedThe Shawshank Redemption (1994) to become the highest-rated movie on IMDB and has opened to largely positive reception. However, it has earned the wrath of the Vanniyar community for featuring a symbol associated with the caste (a fire urn) in a calendar at the house of the antagonist. Though the makers later altered the scene digitally, Anbumani Ramdoss of the political party Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) released a statement questioning why the film had depicted the Vanniyar community in a bad light.
Suriya responded to these allegations and clarified that it was not the makers’ intention to hurt any individual or community.
However, not satisfied with the actor-producer’s response, Arulmozhi has now sent a legal notice to the makers of the film.
The notice, which was accessed by Silverscreen India, states that makers of Jai Bhim have “included the scenes with a view to create communal disharmony” between the Vanniyar community and others. It further claims that their “irresponsible depiction” of the community in a “poor light” is deliberate.
With regard to the contentious calendar scene and the naming of the antagonist police character as Gurumoorthy, the notice points out that the fire urn is a “sacred symbol” for the Vanniyars and the name ‘Guru’ resembles that of “one of the frontline leaders” of the Vanniyar Sangam.
The real name of the inspector involved in the incident, a Christian, was Anthonysamy as opposed to Guru, the notice further states. While other characters have been named after the real persons in the case, the film has deliberately named the “wicked person, a wrong doer” Guru to project him as belonging to the Vanniyar community “thereby imputing that the members of the community are prone to commit wrong and illegal things,” the notice adds.
Calling this a “deliberate attempt” to create “a false impression in the minds of the viewers,” the notice calls upon the makers of Jai Bhim to take four measures:
Remove the alleged defamatory scenes and symbols denoting the community from the film.
Tender an “unconditional apology” in newspapers and social media within 24 hours of receipt of the notice.
Immediately cease and desist from “making or publishing anymore false, malicious and defamatory remarks” against the community and its people.”
Pay damages of Rs 5 crore within a period of seven days from the date of the notice.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, advocate Babu, who sent the notice on the organisation’s behalf, said, “The calendar and the name offend the community as a whole. After Anbumani Ramadoss’ letter, the makers have not expressed regret or apologised. The name has also not been changed so far.”
The makers of Jai Bhim are yet to respond to the notice.
In the meantime, members of PMK stopped a screening of Suriya’s 2007 film Vel at Pearless Theatre in Mayiladuthurai on Sunday. According to The New Indian Express, PMK cadre along with the party’s district secretary Sittamalli A Palanisamy forced the theatre management to stop the screening. Subsequent shows of the film were also pulled. The report adds that PMK cadres also submitted a petition to Mayiladuthurai SP G Suguna Singh to arrest Suriya.
In addition, Palanisamy also announced a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh to anyone who assaults the actor during his visit to the district.
This is not the only controversy Jai Bhim has been embroiled in. Recently, members of the Kuravar community staged a protest in front of Suriya’s house alleging that the film showed their community in a bad light. Earlier, a scene featuring Prakash Raj’s character slapping another for speaking in Hindi also faced backlash on social media.
Meanwhile, Suriya, who has been receiving praise from many quarters for making Jai Bhim, thanked politician Thol Thirumavalavan for appreciating the film. Also, many, including filmmaker Pa Ranjith, have expressed their support for the actor in this issue using the hashtag ‘#WeStandWithSuriya‘, which has been trending on Twitter. On Sunday, the actor announced that he would deposit Rs 10 lakh in the name of Parvati, whose real-life events inspired the film.
Disney+, on Friday, unveiled several new titles while celebrating its Disney+ Day with a slew of teasers, videos, and announcements for forthcoming films and TV shows, including those from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the Star Wars franchise, Pixar, and more. The streaming service also unveiled trailers and exclusive clips from many previously announced titles.
These announcements come at a time when subscriptions to Disney+ have seen their slowest growth till date. However, the OTT platform still added over two million subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2021, with which the total subscriber base for Disney+ now stands at 118 million.
Some of the highlights among the titles announced or confirmed on Disney+ Day were:
Moon Night
Oscar Isaac stars in this series which has been termed as a ‘globetrotting action adventure’ of a ‘complex vigilante’ who is battling identity disorder. The first look of the series was also released on the occasion.
Ms Marvel
This series traces the story of a 16-year-old Pakistani American who idolises superheroes like Avengers and the turn of events after she is blessed with powers too.
Ms-Marvel
What If? (Season 2)
The second season of the show will be about the return of The Watcher and the journey involving new superheroes and exploration of new and interesting worlds in the multi-verse.
Echo
A series starring Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, who will be introduced in Hawkeye.
Ironheart
A series starring Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a genius inventor who creates the most advanced suit of armour since Iron Man.
Agatha: House of Harkness
A series starring Kathryn Hahn as her character from WandaVision. Jac Schaefer returns as executive producer and head writer.
Secret Invasion
A series starring Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn as the Skrull Talos – characters who first met in Captain Marvel. The crossover comic series showcases a faction of shape-shifting Skrulls who have been infiltrating Earth for years.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year
An animated series that follows Peter Parker on his way to becoming Spider-Man in the MCU, with a “journey unlike we’ve ever seen and a style that celebrates the character’s early comic book roots.” Executive producer Jeff Trammel serves as head writer.
Along with these, Disney+ will also feature titles such as Willow, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Princess, No Exit, and more.
