We had earlier reported about Karthi teaming up with ‘Irumbuthirai’ director PS Mithran for a new film titled ‘Sardar’. The film, which has the actor in a dual role, has been confirmed as a Deepavali release. Ahead of the release, the makers have released its teaser. It is a spy-thriller in which Karthi plays a legendary spy, who is famously called Sardar. He is shown as an expert in shape shifting and living in different identities. There is also another Karthi, who seems to be playing a cop. This is the second time after ‘Siruthai’ that Karthi is playing a dual role.
‘Sardar’ has Rajisha Vijayan and Raashi Khanna as the female leads. Bollywood actor Chunky Pandey will be seen as the antagonist in the film. Laila, Murali Sharma, Ilavarasu, Munishkanth and many others are part of the cast. On the technical front, GV Prakash is the music composer and cinematography is by George C Williams. Editor Ruben and stunt choreographer Dilip Subbarayan are also part of the core team.
‘Sardar’ is produced by Lakshman Kumar under the banner of Prince Pictures.
Fahadh Faasil teams up with KGF makers for Dhoomam
Fahadh Faasil has signed a new project with Hombale Films, the banner that backed the KGF films. Titled ‘Dhoomam’, the film will be directed by Kannada filmmaker Pawan Kumar of ‘Lucia’ and ‘UTurn’ fame. Aparna Balamurali and Roshan Mathew have also been cast in the film, which is planned on a big scale. The makers are eyeing to release it in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.
‘Dhoomam’ is set to goes on floors on October 9, and targets a Summer 2023 release. The film will have music scored by Poornachandra Tejaswi and cinematography by Preetha Jayaraman. More details regarding the project are awaited.
‘Dhoomam’ is actually the revival of Pawan Kumar’s pet project ‘C10H14N2’, the chemical formula for nicotine. From the first look, it hints at the story of a chain smoker. The director had earlier attempted to make the film with some Kannada stars, but it didn’t materialise.
Sarath Kumar joins the cast of Dileep-Arun Gopy film
Shoot for Dileep’s new film with director Arun Gopy got kick-started recently. The film, which marks the actor-director combo’s reunion after the blockbuster ‘Ramaleela’, is touted to be a big-budget project. Popular South Indian actress Tamannaah Bhatia is making her Malayalam debut with this film. Latest to join the cast is Tamil actor Sarath Kumar.
The veteran, who has previously worked with Dileep in ‘Christian Brothers’, will playing a pivotal role in the upcoming film. As per reports, this yet-to-be-titled film is planned as a pan-Indian project. It will be shot mostly in North India with actors from various languages likely to be part of the cast. It is scripted by Udhayakrishna and produced by Vinayaka Ajith of Ajith Vinayaka Films.
On the technical front, Shajikumar has been assigned as the cinematographer. Sam CS of ‘Vikram Vedha’ fame is the music director. Edits will be done by Vivek Harshan.
Mohanlal and Lijo Jose Pellissery to team up for a wrestling-based film?
It is widely speculated that Mohanlal and Lijo Jose Pellissery will be teaming up for a wrestling-based film set in a particular region in Andhra Pradesh. PS Rafeeque, with whom Lijo had collaborated for ‘Amen’, is said to be scripting this upcoming film. If reports are to believed, the makers are planning to shoot early next year.
Mohanlal had earlier committed for a film with former State Minister Shibu Baby John’s newly launched production house John & Mary Creative. Century Films and Max Lab partnered by KC Babu were also part of the production. Vivek of ‘Athiran’ fame was supposed to direct that film. But it is now heard that Vivek’s film has been dropped due to creative differences and instead, that date has been allotted to Lijo.
An official announcement is expected as soon as Mohanlal returns back after finishing the shoot of Jeethu Joseph’s ‘Ram’, which is currently progressing in London.
Chiranjeevi’s ‘Godfather’, the Telugu remake of Mohanlal’s ‘Lucifer’ is all set for theatrical release on October 5. Ahead of the release, the makers shared its trailer amidst high expectations. However, it has disappointed a large section of the audience, particularly those who have watched the original film.
Mohan Raja is directing ‘Godfather’, which has Chiranjeevi reprising Mohanlal’s role. The makers have got Salman Khan to reprise Prithviraj’s brief character from the original. Unlike in ‘Lucifer’, the two have some extra scenes including a post-credits party song. It is evident that the Telugu version has been tweaked to make it appealing to the native audience.
‘Godfather’ also stars Nayanthara, Satyadev and Puri Jagannardh. The film is backed by NVR Cinema, Megaa Super Good Films and Konidela Productions.
Dulquer Salmaan collaborates with Zee Studios; King of Kotha to be a pan-Indian film
Dulquer Salmaan’s production house Wayfarer Films is collaborating with Zee Studios for his upcoming film ‘King of Kotha’ (KoK). Billed as a big-budget action entertainer, the film will be out in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi. Dulquer’s recent success with ‘Sita Ramam’ and ‘Chup’ has further established him in the pan-Indian market and this has inspired to decision to mount ‘King of Kotha’ on a bigger scale.
Speaking about the association, Dulquer Salmaan, “Wayfarer Films is proud to associate with Zee Studios for their maiden venture into the Malayalam film industry with our film “King Of Kotha” ! Zee Studios has been associated with some of the biggest industry hits across languages nationwide and it’s a privilege to partner with them to produce some of the best content we wish to bring to all of you. From pre-production to now begining principle photography, we feel we have found the best team with aligned interests to achieve our vision to the best of our abilities”.
Speaking about collaborating with Wayfarer Films, Akshay Kejriwal, Head – South Movies at Zee Studios shared, “We are extremely delighted and proud to collaborate with Dulquer and Wayfarer Films on this exciting film. KOK also marks our entry into the Malayalam film industry and we couldn’t be happier that the journey begins with this association. Dulquer has consistently entertained audiences across the Globe with his versatile performances and it is our absolute honour and privilege to present this film helmed by the supremely talented, Abhilash Joshiy. At Zee Studios, our aim is to create content that entertains people and this film is a positive step in that direction.”
In the first look of ‘KoK’, Dulquer is seen sporting a rugged look and smoking a cigarette. It reminds one of his look in his debut ‘Second Show’, which also had him as a gangster. ‘KoK’ is directed by debutant Abhilash Joshiy, who is the son of veteran director Joshiy. Abhilash Chandran of ‘Porinju Mariam Jose’ fame is scripting the film, first schedule of which is currently progressing at a brisk pace in Karaikudy, Tamil Nadu.
first look of King Of Kotha
‘KoK’ also stara Aishwarya Lekshmi, Nyla Usha, Gokul Suresh and Shanthi Krishna. The film has ‘Kurup’ fame Nimish Ravi as the DOP. Jakes Bejoy and Shaan Rahman will be handling the music.
Shoot for Mammootty’s upcoming film ‘Christopher’ has successfully been wrapped up. The team headed by directed B Unnikrishnan shot the film for 79 days, out of which Mammootty was part of 65 days. The film, touted to be a thriller, has the megastar as a vigilante cop. Udhayakrishna has scripted the film which is said to be based on a real incident.
‘Christopher’ marks Mammootty’s reunion with filmmaker B Unnikrishnan after a gap of 12 long years. They last worked together in ‘Pramani’. Sneha, the female lead in that film, is also part of ‘Christopher’. Amala Paul and Aishwarya Lekshmi are the other female leads. Tamil actor Vinay Rai is essaying the villain’s ole. ‘Agent Tina’ Vasanthi, Shine Tom Chacko, Dileesh Pothan and Jinu Joseph will be seen in other supporting roles.
B Unnikrishnan’s RD Illuminations LLP is producing the film. Faiz Siddik of ‘Operation Java’ fame is the DOP. Manoj is editing the film and music is composed by Justin Varghese.
As reported earlier, Prabhas and Saif Ali Khan are teaming up for ‘Adipurush’, a multilingual mega-budget film. Directed by ‘Tanhaji’ fame Om Raut, it is the retelling of Indian epic, Ramayana. While Prabhas plays the role of Lord Ram, Saif Ali Khan essays the antagonist role named as Lankesh, who is actually Raavan from the mythological epic.
The teaser of ‘Adipurush’ was launched last day at Ayodhya amidst huge fanfare. The teaser came as a huge surprise as not many knew that the makers were attempting a live action film. Ever since the release, social media users have been on a rampage trolling the the shoddy VFX works that resemble cartoons.
Prior to the teaser release, expectations on ‘Adipurush’ were massive. It remains to be seen how it will fare at the box office when it hit screens on January 12, 2023. It is planned to be released in 3D format in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages.T Series and Retrophiles production are jointly producing it.
Aparna Balamurali’s Ini Utharam gears up for release
National award winner Aparna Balamurali’s new film ‘Ini Utharam’ is gearing up to hit screens this Friday (October 7). The film directed by Sudheesh Ramachandran looks like a thriller. The makers had earlier released a highly intriguing trailer, which opens with Aparna’s character Janaki visiting the police station. There she makes a shocking confession that she has murdered someone. The narrative then unfolds through a series of police investigations. Kalabhavan Shajohn and Harish Uthaman play police officers in the film. Siddique, and Sidharth Menon will also be seen in major roles.
‘Ini Utharam’ has its screenplay and dialogues penned by Renjith Unni. ‘Hridayam’ fame Hesham Abdul Wahab is composing music for the film. Cinematography is handled by Ravichandran and edits are done by Jithin D. The film is produced by Arun and Varun under the banner of A&V Entertainments.
Aparna Balamurali, who was last seen in ‘Sundari Gardens’, has ‘Kaapa’ coming up. In Tamil, she is part of ‘Nitham Oru Vaanam’, co-starring Ashok Selvan and Ritu Varma.
Naane Varuvean Review: An excellent setup undone by a bland second half
‘Naane Varuvean’ was an eagerly awaited film solely for one reason — the reunion of Dhanush and Selvaraghavan. The two brothers have collaborated for many memorable films in the past like ‘Thulluvadho Ilamai’, ‘Kaadhal Kondein’, ‘Pudhupetta’, and ‘Mayakkam Enna’. Naturally, the hype surrounding their comeback film was huge. Let’s see…
‘Naane Varuvean’ had Dhanush in a dual role as Prabhu and Kathir. The twin brothers get seperated in their childhood itself after the mother abandons Kathir, the evil one, for killing their father. Cut to the present, Prabhu is living a peaceful life with his wife and teenage daughter. A doting father, Prabhu is very close to his daughter, Sathya. After a North Indian vacation, Sathya falls sick and the parents start noticing behavioural changes only for their worst fears to come true. Anything more will be spoilers, so I’ll stop right there.
The first half of the film is anything unlike what the promos promised. It’s a totally different film with a completely contrasting mood. The buildup is terrific with some organically done chilling moments. Though the making appear amateurish at times, it has some genuine thrilling scenes and grabs our attention. The first half ends on a kickass note, but from there, everything goes for a toss. It turns out to be bland and lacklustre wigh hardly anything memorable. The characters end up shallow and one dimensional. Most disappointing factor is how Kathir, a character which promised a lot, gets a raw deal. It is a classic case of the first half and second half coming across as two different films. It’s as if the makers had no idea of what to do with the story after a point. It could have well been another sibling rivalry story like ‘Aalavandhan’ rather than being such an insipid film.
Dhanush tries his to best to lift the film with his performance. He comes up with contrasting style of performances for the two characters, but the lack of depth in writing has a big impact. Dhanush is said to have scripted the film, though he has not been officially credited. If it’s true, then the actor has no one else to blame. It is an opportunity spoilt.
