Prithviraj looks extremely stylish in this new poster of Driving Licence
Prithviraj’s next release will be ‘Driving Licence’, directed by Jean Paul Lal aka Lal Jr. A new poster featuring the star has just been released online. Major Ravi and Shivaji Guruvayoor can also been seen with him. Prithvi looks extremely handsome in the poster. Along with him, the film also has Suraj Venjaramoodu in a major role.
‘Driving Licence’ scripted by Sachi is expected to be a complete commercial entertainer. The film has Prithviraj playing the role of a film superstar, who is passionate about luxury cars. Suraj Venjaramoodu essays the role a vehicle inspector. The film basically revolves around the conflict that arises between these two characters. Deepti Sati of ‘Neena’ fame and Miya George play the two female leads. Deepti will be seen as Prithviraj’s wife in the film.
DOP Alex J Pulickal, music director duo Yakzan Gary Perera and Neha Nair, and editor Ratheesh Raj are part of the film’s core technical crew. It is the second production venture of Prithviraj’s banner after the science-fiction thriller ‘9’. Listin Stephen’s Magic Frames is also involved in the production. The makers have announced that the film will be hitting screens for Christmas in December.
Last day, it was announced that RJ Balaji will be making his directorial debut with a film titled ‘Mookuthi Amman’. He is directing the film jointly with NJ Saravanan. Lady superstar Nayanthara will be playing the lead role in the film. Dr Isari K Ganesh of Vels International is producing the film. Sharing the first look poster in his social media handle, RJ Balaji wrote,
“And here it is – Mookuthi Amman ! Starring the Lady Superstar Nayanthara..! Produced by Vels Film International.! I’ve written the story, screenplay, dialogues and directing it with NJ Saravanan.! #Summer2020 release!! #MookuthiAmman
Since the film has been titled as ‘Mookuthi Amman’, many expect it to be a devotional film. But, it is learnt that the film has been conceived as a satire. Last year, RJ Balaji turned solo lead with the ‘LKG’, which was also a satire on the current political scenario in the country.
More details regarding the cast and crew of ‘Mookuthi Amman’ are expected to be revealed soon.
‘Thalaivi’, the biopic of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has started rolling. AL Vijay is directing the film, which is shaping up in Tamil as well as Hindi. There is also a dubbed version in Telugu. Bolywood actress Kangana Ranaut is playing the lead role in it. Arvind Swami is also essaying a crucial role as MGR. It must be noted that MGR and Jayalalithaa were very close to each other right from their acting days. They had starred in 28 box-office hits between 1965 and 1973. It was MGR who introduced Jayalalithaa to the world of politics.
While Kangana has already started shooting for her portions in Mysore. Arvind Swami will be joining the team on November 15. The film is scripted jointly by ‘Baahubali’ writer KV Vijayendra Prasad and Rajat Arora. The story, which spans several decades, will shed light on how MGR became Jayalalithaa’s mentor as she forayed into politics through his party.
Prior to commencement of shoot, Kangana had trained for her role. She underwent training in Tamil diction, classical dance and it is said that she will also be putting on weight. The film has Nirav Shah cranking the camera and music composed by GV Prakash. Antony will be handling the edits. Vishnu Induri and Shaailesh R Singh are jointly producing the film.
Aamir Khan has started shooting for ‘Lal Singh Chaddha’, the official remake of widely acclaimed American film ‘Forrest Gump’. Advait Chandan of ‘Secret Superstar’ fame is directing the film. Veteran actor Atul Kulkarni has adapted the script in Hindi. Recently, location stills featuring Aamir Khan in his new look got leaked online. The actor sports a Sikh turban and a long burden. Kareena Kapoor, who plays the female lead, was also seen shooting with Aamir.
‘Forrest Gump’ starring Tom Hanks is a Hollywood classic that got released in 1994. It is a comedy drama based on the novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It had won six Academy Awards for best picture, best director, best actor, best adapted screenplay, best visual effects and best film editing.
‘Lal Singh Chaddha’ has been adapted to suit the sensibilities of the Indian audience. Tamil star Vijay Sethupathi has also been approached to play a crucial role in the film. Official announcement regarding the entire cast is yet to be made. Pritam will be handling the music department. Aamir Khan is producing the film with Viacom 18 Motion Productions. It is scheduled to hit screens for Christmas 2020.
Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 Review: Delightful mix of fun and strong emotions!
‘Android Kunjappan Version 5.25’ stars two of the best performers in Malayalam cinema currently – Suraj Venjaramoodu and Soubin Shahir. Along with them is an adorable robot, centered around which is an endearing story that’s filled with genuinely funny and stirring moments. Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval has written and directed the film. Let’s get into the details.
Bhaskara Poduval (Suraj) and his son Subran aka Subramanian (Soubin) live in a quaint village side in the North of Kerala. The father is a moody, stubborn person who wants his son by his side all the time. He wants his son to find a job at their own locality so that he can be at home by night. The 34-year-old Subran, though responsible, is fed up of taking care of his father all day and wasting his life in the village. Through his friends, the mechanical engineering graduate lands in a high profile job in a robot manufacturing company in Russia.
Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 Review
Subran, though very affectionate of his father, decides to leave and appoints a home nurse to take good care of him. Bhaskara Poduval finds it tough to adjust and fires all his helps. Subran is worried and that’s when he learns about the concept of having a robot as a home nurse through his colleagues at work. Subran brings home a robot to take care of his father. From here on, it is about how a beautiful bond develops between the old aged man and the robot, which is named by the villagers as Kunjappan, thanks to its resemblance to a dwarf in the locality.
A robot taking care of an adamant old man is a very fascinating idea and Ratheesh, the writer-director, has cashed in on it really well. The screenplay is free flowing till the last half hour when it hits a few rough notes. Being ambitious in professional life is never a bad thing and so is a father’s expectation that his son be by his side. Here, the film thankfully does not really judge the two lead characters and neither does it give a proper closure.
Human-robot interaction stories have been told umpteen times before in other languages but it’s a first in Malayalam and that itself is this film’s biggest USP. While Shankar’s ‘Enthiran’ minimized it all within around 20 minutes, here, a good amount of time is spent on the robot’s misadventures, how it does all the household chores, taking care of its master when he is ill, thereby forming a bond, and how the naive villagers react to all this. Bulk of the running time is spent on establishing their relationship and those are easily the best moments in the film.
Android Kunjappan Version 5.25 Review
Towards the end, the film loses steam and the ending seemed hurried. There is also a lack of clarity in some important scenes. Another drawback is regarding how the villagers have been represented in the film. Though the humour does work really well, it is quite strange that the makers chose to showcase an entire village in today’s Kerala as scientifically challenged with zero knowledge on robots. But on the plus side, through this approach, they have tried to address issues like discrimination on the basis of religion and caste.
Both the lead characters are well sketched and the actors have also done extremely well to help us connect to them and feel their emotions. The initial half of the film, especially after the arrival of the robot is a fun riot with Suraj Venjaramoodu in top form. There are only a very few scenes where he is actually seen smiling but his antics are rib-tickling. His body language, which includes even the slightest of mannerisms are very convincing and full marks to the actor’s eye for details. It is another stand out performance from him.
Suraj is well complemented by Soubin, who comparatively has a less challenging role. In spite of that, Soubin still manages to make a mark with a very subtle and matured performance. Particularly impressive is a scene where he breaks down in front of his father on the dining table. Several newcomers and lesser known actors are part of the film and most of them make an impression. Another notable performance was from Saiju Kurup who once again nails the fun-guy role. The female lead Kendy Zirdo has the good looks but her performance felt over exaggerated.
Along with the Poduval-Kunjappan bonding, there are also two other tracks – the love story of Subru and his Malayalam-speaking Japanese colleague and the other is a budding online relationship. Bijibal has composed three songs for these tracks and all of them fit perfectly for the situation. Technically, the film is very sound with apt cinematography by Sanu John Varughese and very impressive VFX works.
So the bottom line is that, ‘Android Kunjappan’ is a film that’s not entirely flawless but still is thoroughly entertaining. Families will love it.
‘Valiya Perunnal’ starring Shane Nigam in the lead has been in the making for a long time. The film also saw multiple delays in release but it is finally set to hit screens next month for Christmas. The makers have announced December 20 as the release date. The film directed by debutant Dimal Dennis is a mass entertainer based in Fort Kochi.
Dimal has also scripted the film jointly with Thasreeq Abdul Salam. Shane Nigam plays the lead role of a dancer in the film. Soubin Shahir and Joju George will be seen in other major roles. Its core technical free includes ‘Thottappan’ cinematographer Suresh Rajan, composer Rex Vijayan and editor Vivek Harshan.
Monisha Rajeev is producing the film under the banner of Magic Mountain Cinemas and hit maker Anwar Rasheed will be presenting it. ‘Valiya Perunnal’ will be competing with the likes of ‘Shylock’, ‘Driving Licence’, ‘Thrissur Pooram’ and ‘My Santa’ at the Christmas box office.
3 back to back promising films lined up for Mammootty!
Mammootty has had a good year so far with all his films doing commercially well. The Khalid Rahman directorial ‘Unda’ also saw the star in a performance-oriented role in Malayalam after a long time and it won him unanimous praise. The year only seems to get better as he has two more releases this year. Going by the look of things, December will see the release of two of his films, ‘Mamangam’ ‘Shylock’. Apart from that, the star is also working a new film titled, ‘One’ that will hit screens early next year. Such solid line up is a testament to Mammootty’s versatility as all these films belong to different genres.
‘Mamangam’ is among his most hyped films in recent times. Directed by M Padmakumar, it is an epic period flick that is made on a huge budget with a big star cast and crew. Unlike the spectacle-heavy films made in other languages, ‘Mamangam’ will be high on emotions, which is Mammootty’s forte. The star’s successful track record in doing period flicks and the sheer scale at which the film has been made guarantees a big opening at the box office.
Ajai Vasudev’s ‘Shylock’ looks like a complete mass entertainer that is certain to set the cash registers ringing. Mammootty plays a grey-shaded moneylender’s role in this film and his new stylish look that got revealed in the recently released first look poster was well received. The film is scheduled for Christmas release and has the potential to emerge as a winner. Besides the original Malayalam version, the film is also releasing in Tamil as ‘Kuberan’.
Mammootty is currently shooting for ‘One’ directed by Santhosh Viswanath. Scripted by Bobby-Sanjay, the film has the star in the role of Kerala’s Chief Minister. It is after two decades that he is doing a political film in Malayalam and that itself is the biggest reason to eagerly wait for the film. Along with the political angle, there also will be strong family emotions in the film. It is inspired some real life incidents and the makers are intending to show how an ideal Chief Minister should function.
’83: Ranveer Singh aces Kapil Dev’s Natraj Shot in this new photo!
Director Kabir Khan’s new film, ’83’ based on India’s historic 1983 Cricket World Cup win is currently under shoot. The film has Ranveer Singh playing the lead role as the legendary Kapil Dev, who was the team’s skipper then. Earlier in the day, the makers released a new photo featuring Ranveer Singh playing the famous ‘Natraj Shot’ that was one of Kapil’s trademark shots. Ranveer looks strikingly similar to the veteran cricketer in this photo.
’83 has a big star cast comprising of actors like Pankaj Tripathi, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Saqib Saleem, Ammy Virk, Jatin Sarna and Harrdy Sandhu among others. Tamil actor Jiiva is making his Hindi debut with this film. He is essaying the role of former Indian cricket team opener Krishnamachari Srikanth. Ranveer’s actress-wife Deepika Padukone is also part of the film. She will be seen essaying the role of Romi Dev, wife of Kapil Dev.
’83’ shoot is currently progressing in England. Prior to the commencement of shoot, the team had undergone basics in formal cricket training for months together in Dharamsala and Kapil Dev had also joined them. Former cricketers Balwinder Sandhu and Yashpal Sharma were also involved in training the actors.
Here’s the first look poster of Suriya’s Soorarai Pottru
As informed earlier by the makers, the first look poster of Suriya starrer ‘Soorarai Pottru’ has been released online. Sudha Kongara of ‘Irudhi Suttru’ fame is directing the film. Academy award winner Guneet Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment is producing it jointly with Suriya’s own production house, 2D Entertainment.
‘Soorarai Pottru’ is an ambitious film that is loosely based on the life of GR Gopinath, the founder of Air Deccan, who is also a retired captain of the Indian army. The film is scripted jointly by Sudha Kongara and Shalini Usha Nair. Malayali actress Aparna Balamurali plays the female lead. Veterans like Paresh Rawal, Jackie Shroff and Mohan Babu will be seen in prominent roles.
first look poster of Suriya’s Soorarai Pottru
‘Soorarai Pottru’ has Niketh Bommireddy as the cinematographer and GV Prakash as the composer. The film was initially planned as a Christmas release but recently got postponed. If things turn out as per plans, the film will be releasing for Pongal.
Post-production works of ‘Mamangam’ are progressing in full swing. Though the film was announced as a November 21, it is highly likely to happen. The makers are yet to give an official word regarding the new date. Meanwhile, dubbing works for the film’s other language versions are still progressing.
Unni Mukundan recent shared photos of him dubbing for the Hindi version. The actor himself is dubbing for his portions in Hindi as he is proficient enough in the language thanks to his growing up years in Gujarat. Apart from the orginal Malayalam and Tamil versions, ‘Mamangam’ is also releasing in Telugu and Tamil languages. Since it is a period flick that is high on visual grandeur, it is expected to work well with the non-Malayali audience as well.
Directed by M Padmakumar, the film is an epic tale centred around the religious festival, Mamangam, that took place every 12 years in a place called Thirunavaya, on the banks of Bharathapuzha, for over 280 years. Mammootty and Unni Mukundan play fearless warriors in the film. Child actor Achuthan plays another major role.
