Amazon Prime’s original web series ‘The Family Man’ is getting a second season and it will be out on February 2. A new teaser has just been released online. The trailer will be out on 19 January. Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, who directed the first season, is helming the second season as well. ‘The Family Man’ is centred around a middle-class man, secretly working for the TASC branch of National Investigation Agency. It’s about the challenges he faces in his personal and professional life.
Manoj Bajpai plays the lead character in the series. Malayalam actor Neeraj Madhav, Priya Mani, Shreya Dhanwanthary Kishore, Sundeep Kishan, Sharad Kelkar, Sharib Hashmi, Dinesh Prabhakar and Gul Panag were also part of the first season’s cast.
The second season has popular South Indian actress Samantha as the antagonist. It marks her debut in the web series arena and her performance is eagerly awaited. Expectations are high as the first season was a big success with positive reviews by the critics as well as the commoners.
Master Review: Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi shine equally in this mass entertainer
After what seemed like a never-ending wait, we are back to theatres and what better way to kick-off than with a mass-superstar film. With ‘Master’, we have not one but two big stars facing off and how exciting can it get. Check out the review in detail.
*Mild spoilers ahead*
‘Master’ begins with the sob story of a young boy, Bhavani, who grows into a menacing rowdy. Minutes into the film, we already know we have a solid villain character ready. We then cut straight to an arts college where we get introduced to JD, a professor who is a students’ favorite. He is a drunkard who stands for what’s right but not in the usual manner. He lives life on his own terms and doesn’t give heed to the authorities. A particular incident in the college forces him to take a break and he lands in a juvenile home. There the young inmates are into drugs and take up all sorts of criminal activities for their leader, Bhavani. How JD manages to free them from the clutches of Bhavani and put an end to his empire forms the rest of the plot.
Master Review Rating
As credited rightly by the makers, ‘Master’ takes its basic thread from Kamal Haasan’s yesteryear hit film ‘Nammavar’. Director Lokesh has dished out a proper entertainer with all the commercial elements, but not always in the right mix. Contrary to his claims before release, ‘Master’ is not an unusual Vijay film. It has all the usual elements one would normally expect from his film. But where this one stands out is the presence of a powerful antagonist. This is not a good vs. bad film. This is about grey vs. evil.
Usually in big star films, the villain role is where most filmmakers falter by making him loud and caricaturish. However, Lokesh and his writers, Rathna Kumar and Pon Parthiben, have not fallen into that trap. Vijay Sethupathi’s Bhavani is a skilfully sketched character with equal significance as Vijay’s JD. Their two stories run parallel before they lock horns at the interval block. It is only in the final few minutes that they actually come face to face. It would have been even better if the screenplay was more tighter towards the second half with some thrilling cat and mouse games between the two leads. The film seemed to end abruptly with a typical-but-well-choreographed fight sequence and a tail end that gives some sort a high.
Master Review Rating
Coming to the actors, like earlier mentioned, there is nothing unusual about Vijay’s performance. He easily pulls off the care-free attitude before turning more intense towards the second half. His trademark jolly-mannerisms, exceptional dancing and fiery dialogue delivery are all on show. The star also appeared really handsome in both the looks. For someone like Malavika Mohanan to drool over him and sing the lines, ‘Antha Kanna Paathaka Love-u Thaana Thonadha’, he had to be that good-looking.
Vijay Sethupathi is brilliant as he delivers a cracker of a performance like only he can. Though his quirkiness did remind of Vedha at some point, the actor adds more nuances that makes Bhavani a real cold-blooded gangster. His effortlessness in dialogue delivery, like always, is a treat to watch. Bhavani is easily one of the best villain characters in recent times and lion’s share of credits goes to the amazing actor.
Master Review Rating
Though the film has an elaborate supporting cast, not many manage to make a mark. Malavika Mohanan is elegant and adequate while one expected more from a performer like Andrea. She does have a whistle-worthy moment but it was a let down considering that the makers had kept her character details under the wraps right through the promotions. Arjun Das is once again the bad, brooding guy and he needs to get of it pretty soon before being stereotyped. Mahendran as the young Bhavani made a lasting impact in the first few minutes itself. Also worth a mention is the performance of the kids, who played the jail inmates.
Anirudh’s music works wonders for the film. The songs are already chartbusters and they work well within the film as well. The usage of ‘Ghilli Kabaddi’ score and ‘Beat of Master’ for the climax sequence were his best moments.
To put it simply, ‘Master’ does not have anything unusual about it. It is a proper mass, masala flick with two superstars at the helm and they make way for all the whistle-worthy moments.
Mani Ratnam directorial ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ is a highly ambitious film that has several stars from various languages as part of its cast. The film’s shoot was progressing at a good pace before the pandemic brought things to a halt. After over 8 months, the team has now resumed shoot in Hyderabad. Filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar, who is assisting Mani Ratnam in this film, had recently posted a photo from the sets in his Instagram stories.
‘Ponniyim Selvan’ original cast includes Vikram, Trisha, Vikram Prabhu, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sarath Kumar, Prabhu, Kishore, Jayaram, Rahman, Lal and Ashwin Kakumanu. Due to the change in dates and schedules due to the break, it remains to be seen if any of the actors have opted out of the project.
‘Ponniyin Selvan’ is originally based on a historical Tamil novel written by Kalki Krishnamurthy. It tells the story of early days of Arulmozhivarman, who later became the great Chola emperor, Raja Raja Chola I. Mani Ratnam’s own banner Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions are collaborating for this mega budget film’s production.
Prithviraj’s had recently completed shooting for his new film ‘Kuruthi’. Interestingly, the entire shoot was wrapped up in just 24 days. Shine Tom Chacko, who plays one of the major roles in the film, revealed this in a recent interview. Shoot started on December and got completed on January 4. Debutant Manu Warrier is directing the film that has a big star cast.
Prithviraj plays a Wayanad-native in the film. Shine essays the character of a local politician named Karim. Murali Gopy, Roshan Mathew, Shine Tom Chacko, Srindaa, Mamukkoya, Manikandan R Achari, Navas Vallikkunnu, ‘Thanneer Mathan Dhinangal’ fame Naslen and ‘Thatteem Mutteem’ fame Sagar Surya are also part of the cast.
Upon the film’s completion, Prithviraj had written a note in his Facebook page praising the team for completing the film in quick time without compromising on any quality. He added that he felt both as a producer and an actor on being part of ‘Kuruthi. According to him, it is the fastest film he has shot for in his entire career.
‘Kuruthi’ scripted by Anish Pallyal is said to be an action-thriller. Abhinandan Ramanujam is the cinematographer and music is by Jakes Bejoy. Akhilesh Mohan is the editor. Supriya Menon is producing the film under the banner of Prithviraj Productions.
Trailer of Kunchacko Boban starrer Mohan Kumar Fans released
The trailer of Kunchacko Boban’s new film ‘Mohan Kumar Fans’ has just been released online. The film is directed by Jis Joy, who is fresh from the back to back success of ‘Sunday Holiday’ and ‘Vijay Superum Pournamiyum’.
‘Mohan Kumar Fans’ is said to be meta-movie set in the world of cinema. The film’s story is penned by the National award winners Bobby-Sanjay. Director Jis Joy has written the screenplay, dialogues and song lyrics. According to him, the film will be on similar lines to ‘Udhayananu Tharam’. It has a lot of entertaining factors to satisfy a wide range of audience.
Debutante Anarkali plays the female lead. The supporting cast includes Sreenivasan, Mukesh, TG Ravi, Ramesh Pisharody, Srikanth Murali, Sethulekshmi and many others. On the technical front, Bahul Ramesh is the DOP and edits are handled by Ratheesh Raj.
Music has much importance in the film and there are a total of seven songs. Songs are composed by Prince George of ‘Vijay Superum Pournamiyum’ fame while background score is done by William Francis of ‘Kettiyolaanu Ente Malakha’ fame.
Listin Stephen is producing ‘Mohan Kumar Fans’ under the banner of Magic Frames.
Ghilli background scrore remixed for Master; Watch new promo video here!
The final promo video before the grand theatrical release of ‘Master’ is out. The video features Arjun Das’ character challenging Vijay for a game of Kabaddi. Interestingly, the makers have used the remixed version of the iconic Kabaddi score from ‘Ghilli’ for this scene. Director Lokesh had employed this technique of including hit songs in his last film ‘Kaithi’ as well.
Vijay’s ‘Master’ is hitting screens tomorrow (January 13) and there’s huge excitement all around. Theatre bookings have already begun and tickets are being sold out in quick time. Most shows for the opening day have already been sold out. In Kerala also, the film is set for a wide release.
‘Master’ has Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi playing the lead roles. While Vijay plays a college professor named John Durairaj in ‘Master’, Vijay Sethupathi essays the role of a gangster named Bhavani. The film also stars Andrea Jeremiah, Malavika Mohanan, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Sriman, Sanjeev and Gouri Kishan. Xavier Britto is producing the film under the banner of XB Pictures.
The makers of Mammootty’s ‘The Priest’ have announced that the film’s teaser will be out on January.14 at 7 PM. Fans are eagerly waiting to see what’s in store as nothing much has been revealed about the film yet. Directed by debutant Jofin T Chacko, the film is said to be a mystery thriller.
So far, the makers have only released some posters; all featuring Mammootty and all of them looked promising retaining the mystery element. Manju Warrier plays the female lead’s part in the film. She recently started dubbing for her portions. The cast includes Nikhila Vimal, Jagadheesh, Ramesh Pisharody, Ameya Mathew, Baby Monica of ‘Kaithi’ fame, ‘Nayika Nayakan’ fame Venkitesh and Tony Luke. DOP Akhil George, editor Shameer Muhammed and music director Rahul Raj form the core technical team.
‘The Priest’ is jointly produced by Anto Joseph, B Unnikrishnan and VN Babu. It will be Mammootty’s first theatrical release post-pandemic. An exact date has not yet been announced.
Kabaddi background music from Ghilli remixed for Master
Vijay’s ‘Master’ is releasing tomorrow and there’s huge excitement all around. Fans, cinephiles and industry insiders are eagerly looking forward to the film as it is the first major release in over 8 months. Theatre bookings have already begun and tickets are being sold like hotcakes. Most shows for the opening day have already been sold out.
‘Master’ has such high expectations majorly due to the coming together of two big stars, Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi. The two are pitted against each other in this film, which is expected to be a high voltage mass entertainer. Director Lokesh Kanagaraj’s last film ‘Kaithi’ was also a huge success, which further heightens the hype. The director has often repeated that ‘Master’ will be different from Vijay’s other films. According to him, it will be a content-oriented film with an unusual Vijay in it.
Depsite all that, Lokesh has included certain elements aimed at the star’s huge fan base. One such thing is the remixed version of the iconic Kabaddi score from ‘Ghilli’. It is learnt that Anirudh has remixed the orginal score composed by Vidyasagar and used it for an important scene in the film. Lokesh had employed this technique of including hit songs in his last film ‘Kaithi’ as well.
The Immortal Ashwatthama: Vicky Kaushal reunites with Uri director Aditya Dhar for a superhero flick!
After the massive success of ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’, Vicky Kaushal, director Aditya Dhar and producer by Ronnie Screwvala are reuniting for ‘The Immortal Ashwatthama’, a futuristic sci-fi film, based on a character from the chapter of Mahabharata.
Announcing the project with a first look poster, RSVP Films posted on their social media handle,
Raising the bar higher for the superhero genre not only in India but across the world, this film is a high-concept visual spectacle in the making. From the team that brought to you URI The Surgical Strike, presenting Vicky Kaushal in and as #TheImmortalAshwatthama
The makers of ‘Ashwatthama’ are working towards creating a visual spectacle that audiences across India would have never seen before. Vicky Kaushal describes it as the biggest film of his career. For his character in this ambitious film, the star has been working hard in the gym to beef up his physique.
‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ was a huge hit, both critically and commercially. The film even won three National Awards including Best Actor award for Vicky Kaushal and Best Director award for Aditya Dhar. As the same team reunites, expectations will be humongous and they will be hoping to live up to that.
Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif to star in Anandhun director’s next
After the blockbuster success of ‘Andhadhun’, director Sriram Raghavan is set to begin his next. He was initially supposed to work on ‘Ekkis’, starring his ‘Badlapur’ actor Varun Dhawan. However, that project has now been put on hold as it involves huge budget and would not be feasible due to the current pandemic situation.
As per latest reports, Sriram Raghavan’s next will have Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif in the leads. It is an unusual casting but the director seems to have convinced both the actors. Like his earlier films, this one will also have an intriguing concept. An official announcement is expected to be made soon.
Vijay Sethupathi meanwhile is making his Hindi debut with ‘Mumbaikar’. Directed by Santosh Sivan, it is the official remake of hit Tamil film ‘Maanagaram’. The Hindi version also stars Vikrant Massey, Sanjay Mishra, Tanya Maniktala, Ranvir Shorey, Hridhu Haroon and Sachin Khedekar.
