Mammootty’s thriller film starts rolling on New Year’s Day
As informed by us earlier, Mammootty is teaming up with debutant Jofin T Chacko for a thriller film. Anto Joseph and B Unnikrishnan are jointly producing the film, that got launched today with a customary pooja ceremony. Lady superstar Manju Warrier is set to act together with Mammootty for the first time with this film. But we hear that two will not be seen as a pair. Nikhala Vimal is also said to be playing an important role in the film.
This yet-to-be titled film got initiated after some sudden developments. Mammootty already had signed for other projects, but he still accommodated immediate dates as he was highly impressed by Jofin’s script. Official announcement with full details regarding the project will be made soon.
Mammootty was last seen shooting for ‘One’, a political film directed by Santhosh Viswanath. Bobby and Sanjay have scripted the film that has the star in a Chief Minister’s role. His next release is ‘Shylock’ directed by Ajai Vasudev.
As a new year gift for the fans, the makers of Mammootty’s ‘Shylock’ released a new teaser at the stroke of midnight. This comes right after the extraordinary response for the first teaser. In this film directed by Ajai Vasudev, Mammootty looks extremely stylish and has a devilish swag.
Scripted jointly by newcomers Bibin Mohan and Aneesh Hameed, ‘Shylock’ is touted to be a complete mass entertainer. It is shaping up as a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual with the Tamil version titled as ‘Kuberan’. Veteran Tamil actor Raj Kiran is making his Malayalam debut with this film. He has also penned the dialogues for the Tamil version.
The film also has an elaborate supporting cast comprising of Meena, Bibin George, Baiju, Siddique, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Anson Paul, Arthana Binu, John Vijay, Arjun Nandakumar, Hareesh Kanaran and many others. Joby George of Goodwill Entertainment is producing the film, which is scheduled to release on January 23.
Ajayante Randam Moshanam: Tovino’s ambitious project announced
A highly ambitious project of Tovino’s new film ‘Ajayante Randam Moshanam’ has been announced today on New Year’s Day. The film will be directed by debutant Jithin Lal, a close associate of Tovino since his early days in the film industry. Sujith Nambiar is scripting the film which will have Tovino playing three different characters named Ajayan, Maniyan and Kunjikelu. All three of them are from different timelines. The film will be produced by UGM Entertainment.
Tovino announced the project by releasing an intriguing poster featuring him in three looks. Along with the poster, he has written,
Wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year …!! With immense joy and excitement, I would like to share my new movie poster with you all.. “Ajayante Randam Moshanam“ is going to be a milestone in my career as I am to portray three different characters of three different time periods in this film.. This film will be directed by my dear friend Jithin Lal,a promising young talent who has been with me from his early movie days starting from ennu ninte moideen till kalki.. This periodic film to be shot in northern Kerala has been written by Sujith Nambiar and produced by UGM entertainment, and introducing tamil music director Dhibu Ninan Thomas to our industry through this film… Happy New Year again..!!!
Madhu C Narayanan is the latest entrant from the Aashiq Abu school of filmmaking. His directorial debut ‘Kumbalangi Nights’ is one of the best films to have come out of Indian cinema this year. Madhu has showed a lot of promise right with his first independent work and expectations will naturally be high on his upcoming projects.
2. Anna Ben
Kumbalangi Nights Fame Anna Ben
Anna Ben, daughter of popular scriptwriter Benny P Nayarambalam, made her acting debut with ‘Kumbalangi Nights’. She gave a notable performance in the film. But it was in her second film, ‘Helen’ that showed her real potential as an actor. She will certainly be one of the strong contenders for winning the best actress award.
3. Ifthi
June Movie Music Director Ifthi
Like Kailas Menon last year, it is Ifthi in 2019 who won scores of hearts with his music in his debut film, ‘June’. The coming-of-age film starring Rajisha Vijayan had 7 songs and each one of them turned a chartbuster. Along with Rajisha’s performance, it was Ifthi’s music that proved to be the biggest plus points of the film.
4. Girish AD
Thanneer Mathan Dhinangal Director Girish AD
It is never easy to make films with newcomers, that too school-going teenagers. But Girish AD proved it wrong with ‘Thanneer Mathan Dhinangal’ that not was just another hit but turned into a real sensation. The debutant showed his ability to extract the best out of his rookie actors and make a thoroughly entertaining rom-com.
5. Master Achuthan
Mamangam Child Artist Master Achuthan
The wonder kid from ‘Mamangam’ is easily one of the most impressive debutants of the year. He displayed extraordinary skills in performing kalaripayattu sequences, which is a very pivotal part of the film. Despite sharing screen space with several seasoned actors, including the legendary Mammootty, Achuthan showed no signs of a newcomer.
6. Mathukutty Xavier
Helen Director Mathukutty Xavier
2019 was a great year for debutant directors. Mathukutty Xavier of ‘Helen’ fame is one of the most promising among them. The director showed brilliant craft in helming a survival drama with equal weightage to romance and family emotions.
7. Mathew Thomas
Kumbalangi Nights and Thanneer Mathan Dhinangal Fame Mathew Thomas
Mathew Thomas starred in two films this year – ‘Kumbalangi Nights’ (KN) and ‘Thanneer Mathan Dhinangal’ (TMD). His Franky in KN is the most level-headed of the four brothers; he’s matured and subdued. On the contrast, his Jaison in TMD, is like the average school-going teenager of his age, with his own set of insecurities. Both the characters were like chalk and cheese, yet the youngster performed them effortlessly.
8. Ratheesh Balakrishnan
Android Kunjappan Director Ratheesh Balakrishnan
Ratheesh Balakrishnan is not exactly a debutant. Before making his maiden feature film, the heartwarming ‘Android Kunjappan Ver 5.25’, he worked as a production designer in Bollywood films like ‘Force’, ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’ and ‘Badhaai Ho’. With ‘Kunjappan’, he made his arrival as a filmmaker in style.
9. Anuraj Manohar
Ishq Director Anuraj Manohar
Anuraj Manohar, a former assistant of Lijo Jose Pelissery, made his mentor proud with his debut film, ‘Ishq’. The film even grabbed attention of the non-Malayali cine goers. The way he conceived a complex story that explores the hypocrisy of an average Malayali guy was worth all the appreciation. A special mention for the daring climax.
10. Chinnu Chandini
Thamaasha Fame Chinnu Chandini
Though Chinnu Chandini appeared in a brief supporting role in ‘Anuraga Karikkin Vellam’, it was ‘Thamaasha’ her debut film as a lead actor, that made people notice her. The way she carried herself in the film despite all the so-called imperfections and her adorable chemistry with Vinay Forrt were lovely. Chinnu actually owned the film from the moment she entered the screen in the latter half.
Here we compile the list of best Malayalam songs of the year. Needless to say, it was quite a tough task as musically, 2019 has been a rich year with a wide variety of songs from different genres.
Note that the following list is in alphabetical order.
Big Budget film to be made based on Indugopan’s famous story Chengannur Goodasangham!
GR Indugopan’s works seem to be much in demand in Malayalam. His detective series, ‘Detective Prabhakaran’ is being made into a film and it will be directed by Jude Anthany Joseph. Likewise, Jeethu Joseph had earlier shown interest to adapt ‘Thaskaran: Maniyan Pillayude Aathmakatha’, one of Indugopan’s famous works. We now hear that another work of his is getting a feature film adaptation.
Sophia Paul of Weekend Blockbusters is producing a big budget film based on the story ‘Chengannur Goodasangham’, from Indugopan’s book ‘Amminipilla Vettu Case’. It is a story of a bunch of brave fishermen from Munambam coast. Lead by the hero, these fishermen sail dangerously through the Indian ocean to the isles of Diego Garcia to catch sharks. Diego Garcia is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean. The film will be about the adventurous lives of these fishermen who brave even the US army.
From what we gather, Weekend Blockbusters is set to produce a very ambitious project. Details regarding the cast and crew have not yet been revealed.
‘Driving Licence’ directed by Jean Paul Lal is continuing its successful run in theatres. The film scripted by Sachy has Prithviraj Sukumaran and Suraj Venjaramoodu in the lead roles. It tells the story of a film star and his ardent fan, who is a motor vehicle inspector. As circumstances turn out, the two turn against one another and they constantly try to outsmart each other. It is their clash of ego and power abuse that take the film forward.
Prithviraj plays the superstar’s role in the film. The makers have released the opening song featuring him online. Music director duo Yakzan Gary Perera and Neha Nair have composed the song. It is actually a meta scene featuring Hareendran, the superstar, from a film sequence.
‘Driving Licence’ has got unanimously positive response from all corners. Critic reviews were also encouraging with special mention for the performance of its two lead actors. Popular opinion is that the film is a well-made commercial entertainer. The film recently breached the Rs 10 crore mark at Kerala box office.
Thalapathy 64 is Master; Here’s the first look poster!
After all the waiting, the title and first look poster of Tamil superstar Vijay’s new film has got unveiled. The film has been titled as Master and it looks higly promising from the first look poster. Lokesh Kanagaraj, who helmed the recent blockbuster ‘Kaithi’ is helming this film. Along with Vijay, the film will see another big star, Vijay Sethupathi, in a major role. He is reportedly playing the antagonist’s role.
As assured by the makers, Master will be completely different from Vijay’s earlier films. It is expected to be a strong content oriented mass entertainer. Along with director Lokesh, ‘Aadai’ director Rathnakumar and Pon Parthiban are also involved in penning the screenplay.
Master Thalapathy 64 Title And First Look Poster
Vijay is said to be essaying the role of a college professor with a dark past. Recent internet sensation Malavika Mohanan plays the female lead’s part. ‘Kaithi’ fame Arjun Das, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Gouri Kishan, Ramya Subramaniam, Sriman, Ramesh Thilak and many others are part of the cast.
Young sensation Anirudh Ravichander is trusted with the music department and Sathyan Sooryan handles the cinematography. Xavier Britto is producing the film which is scheduled for an April release next year.
D40: It’s a wrap for Dhanush-Karthik Subbaraj film
Shoot for Dhanush’s new film with Karthik Subbaraj, which has been tentatively titled as ‘D40’ got wrapped up last day. The actor took to his social media handle to inform the same. Along with that, he appreciated Karthik as a quirky, sensible and visionary filmmaker. His tweet reads,
That’s a wrap for D40. One of the quickest films I have done. It was a pleasure to work with such a quirky , sensible and visionary film maker like @karthiksubbaraj this one is going to be special.
In reply, Karthik Subbaraj tweeted,
Thanks a lot @dhanushkraja sir for the kind words… It was a great experience for me and the team to work with an awesome actor like you…. #D40
The film is said to be a gangster thriller. Major portions were shot in London for over two months. Dhanush will be appearing in two different looks in the film, one as a Madurai based gangster and the other, set in London. Malayalam actress Aishwarya Lekshmi shot for the London portions while ‘Game Over’ fame Sanchana Natarajan was part of the Tamil Nadu schedule.
Hollywood actor James Cosmo, who has acted films like ‘Braveheart’, ‘Troy’, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion’ and the popular TV series ‘Game of Thrones’, is playing a crucial role in the film. Malayalam actorJoju George and ‘Madras’ fame Kalaiyarasan are also part of the cast. On the technical front, Santhosh Narayanan is the composer, Shreyaas Krishna, the DOP and Vivek Harshan handles the edits. S Sashikanth of Y Not Studios is producing the film.
First look poster of Neeraj Madhav’s Gauthamante Radham released
Neeraj Madhav is slowly moving away from side kick roles to lead roles and he already has three such projects in his kitty. First look poster of his new film ‘Gauthamante Radham’ got released online last day. Nivin Pauly, Vineeth Sreenivasan and Tovino Thomas shared the poster through their respective social media handles. Neeraj, Basil Joseph, Renji Panicker and Devi Ajith feature in the poster, which gives vibes of a fun family ride.
‘Gauthamante Radham’ is directed by debutant Anand Menon. Kichappus Entertainment is presenting the film in association with ICL Fincorp. Besides playing an important character, Basil Joseph is also associated with the film as a creative director.
First look poster of Neeraj Madhav’s Gauthamante Radham
Vishnu Sharma of ‘Godha’ and ‘Velipadinte Pusthakam’ fame is the DOP. Music department is handled by Ankit and edits are done by Appu Bhattathiri. Funtastic Films headed by Aju Varghese, Dhyan Sreenivasan and Visakh Subramanian will be releasing the film in Kerala.
