Mammootty, Vijay Sethupathi and Nayanthara to team up for a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual?
Leading medias like International Business Times and Times of India have reported that Mammootty, Vijay Sethupathi and Nayanthara are set to team up for a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual. The director’s name or other details about the project are not given, which makes us think it will be a rumour that’s too good to be true. The three aforementioned three stars have not yet acted together and it will be nothing short of a treat if someone can pull it off. Currently, all the three of them are busy with their respective commitments.
Mammootty is basking in the glory of his latest release ‘Unda’, which has opened to unanimously positive reviews. He is simultaneously shooting for ‘Ganagandharavan’. After its completion, he will be teaming up with Ajai Vasudev for mass entertainer. ‘Mamangam’ with M Padmakumar, ‘Ameer’ with Vinod Vijayan, ‘Bilal’ with Amal Neerad,and ‘One’ scripted by Bobby-Sanjay are his other upcoming projects.
Vijay Sethupathi also has multiple projects lined up. His Malayalam debut ‘Marconi Mathai’, in which he plays a prominent role alongside Jayaram is gearing up to hit screens. ‘Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy’, ‘Sindhubaad’, ‘Maamanithan’, ‘Sanga Tamizhan’ and ‘Laabam’ are some of his films in the pipeline.
Nayanthara is also occupied with several projects in her kitty. She is part of Vijay-Atlee team’s ‘Thalapathy 63’, Rajinikanth’s ‘Darbar’ and Chiranjeevi’s ‘Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy’. Her Malayalam film ‘Love Action Drama’ in which she shares screen space with Nivin Pauly is scheduled for Onam release.
Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum writer Sajeev Pazhoor calls Unda an ‘Indian film’
Mammootty starrer ‘Unda’ continues to find new admirers. The movie is getting unanimously positive reviews from all corners, which includes critics, common audience and even celebs. Latest to appreciate the team is National award winning script writer Sajeev Pazhoor, who penned the widely acclaimed ‘Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum’. Sajeev, in his Facebook post, called ‘Unda’ an ‘Indian film’.
Just like he said, ‘Unda’ has a pan-Indian nature. It tells the story of a battalion of policemen from Kerala who are posted in Chhattisgarh on election duty. While it does keep the audience entertained throughout with ample amount of fun and thrill, the movie is also an eye-opener that invites discussions. It is not just another regular potboiler, but a politically layered film that touches upon multiple issues which appeals to a wider audience. In that sense, ‘Unda’ is definitely an Indian film.
‘Unda’ has taken an excellent opening at the Kerala box office. Hitting screens on June 14, the movie opened to highly positive reviews from both the critics and common audience. Most centres, especially multiplexes, are having high occupancy. It is expected to continue its successful run in the coming weeks as well.
Indrans starrer Veyilmarangal set to compete at Shanghai International Film Festival
Indrans’ new film ‘Veyilmarangal’ (Trees Under the Sun) directed by Dr Biju is having its world premiere today (June 17) at the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival. It is also competing for the Golden Goblet Award for Best Feature Film along with 14 other films, shortlisted from 3964 submissions from 112 countries. ‘Veyilmarangal’ is the only Indian film in the main competition section. It is also the first Indian film in six years to compete in the Shanghai Film Festival.
Interestingly, the last Indian film to have competed for Golden Goblet, ‘Color of Sky’ (Akashathinte Niram), was also directed by Dr Biju. This year’s festival is being held from June 15-24. Tickets for the world premiere of ‘Veyilmarangal’ has already been sold out. The screening will be by director Biju, Indrans, producer Baby Mathew Somatheeram and actor Prakash Bare.
Dr Biju, is one of the most revered filmmakers in the parallel cinema sphere in Malayalam. Almost all his films have been widely acclaimed, with some of them even garnering international acclaim.
Hundreds throng Ragam theatre for Unda success celebration with Mammootty and team
Mammootty’ latest release ‘Unda’ has taken an excellent opening at the Kerala box office. Hitting screens on June 14, the movie opened to highly positive reviews from both the critics and common audience. Most centres, especially multiplexes, are having high occupancy. Meanwhile, the makers had a small success celebration at Georgettan’s Ragam theatre in Thrissur.
Mammootty, director Khalidh Rahman, producer Krishnan Sethukumar and some other members of ‘Unda’ team were present for the cake cutting. Hundreds thronged the area to catch a glimpse of Mammootty and celebrate the movie’s success. It is the megastar’s second successive hit in Malayalam after the blockbuster, ‘Madhura Raja’.
‘Unda’ is rated as a special film for many reasons. It not just another regular potboiler, but a very layered film with strong politics in it. While Mammootty’s restrained yet powerful performance is the centre of attraction, the movie boasts of equally good performances from all the supporting actors.
Movie discussion platforms in Malayali social media sphere are abuzz with active discussions about ‘Unda’, its politics and the various issues subtly portrayed in it. A good film is one that invites discussions and makes you think; in that sense ‘Unda’ is a true winner.
Here’s the trailer of Vijay Sethupathi starrer Sindhubaadh
Last day, the official trailer of ‘Sindhubaadh’, got released in social medias. The movie directed by SU Arun Kumar stars Vijay Sethupathi and Anjali in the lead roles. From the trailer, it looks like a mass entertainer with a blend of romance and action. Major portions of the movie have been shot in Malaysia. Linga, Vivek Prasanna and Vijay Sethupathi’s son Surya are also part of the movie’s supporting cast.
Director SU Arun Kumar has previously helmed ‘Pannaiyarum Padminiyum’ and ‘Sethupathi’, both starring Vijay Sethupathi in the lead. Both the films were noted and naturally expectations are high for his new film. Reportedly, the director spent around two years to script ‘Sindhubaadh’.
The movie has cinematography handled by Vijay Karthik Kannan and music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. Ruben is in charge of the edits. SN Rajarajan of K Productions is jointly producing the movie with Shan Sudharshan of Vansan Movies.
Watch out for a big announcement from Lucifer team tomorrow!
‘Lucifer’, currently the biggest blockbuster in Malayalam cinema is marching towards its 100th day of theatrical run. Even after its online release in Amazon Prime, the movie is still being screened in a select few theatres in the state. ‘Lucifer’ has already shattered all possible box office records and has done an overall business that exceeds well over Rs 200 crores.
Meanwhile, the makers have informed that a big announcement will be made tomorrow (June 18) at 6 PM. Ever since the release of ‘Lucifer’, there have been numerous talks about the possibilities of a sequel to the movie. The makers have left several open ends in the film and also a very intriguing tail end. Time and again, they have also added fuel by hinting about a second part. Speculations are already being made that tomorrow’s announcement will be about the sequel.
Recently, Prithviraj, who made his directorial debut with ‘Lucifer’, was asked about the possibility of a sequel. He confirmed that they are working on a few ideas. Apparently, ‘Lucifer’ was never conceived as an one-film story. Writer Murali Gopy has also corroborated this. According to them, the second part demands a much bigger scale and treatment. So they had to wait and see the audience response for ‘Lucifer’. Now that the movie has done such a phenomenal business, the second part is definitely happening.
Prithviraj had also added that in the sequel, along with Mohanlal’s character Abram Qureshi, Zayed Masood will also have a much prominent role. Zayed, the character played by Prithviraj, had limited screen presence in the first part.
Unda Review: Entertaining, thought-provoking story about the unseen side of police lives & lot more!
Ever since this Mammootty starrer was announced, there has been numerous trolls about its title, ‘Unda’. The trolls got so severe to a stage where some were genuinely concerned about the menace this title can bring upon. But the makers were confident; they believed in themselves and the subject that they were about to tell. That belief has clearly reflected on the quality of the final output. Let’s go through the review in detail.
‘Unda’ directed by Khalidh Rahman and scripted by Harshad is inspired from a real life incident that occurred in 2014 during the Lok Sabha elections. A battalion of policemen from Kerala are posted on election duty in the Maoist affected areas of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. Despite being in such a risky zone, they are deprived of basic facilities and sufficient ammunition. Whether they manage to make it through and help in conducting a hassle-free elections is the conflict.
While the basic setting is similar to Rajkummar Rao’s National award winning ‘Newton’, ‘Unda’ is unique in its own ways. Though the story had scope for a real nail-biting survival thriller, the makers have conceived it as a film that transcends multiple genres. It is highly political, thought-provoking and entertaining at the same time. The first half is neatly set up by smartly establishing the major characters. There is no elaborate back story but just interesting tidbits about their lives and current mental state. There is a steady pace even after it enters the second half and eventually has a rewarding culmination.
With ‘Unda’, director Khalidh and writer Harshad has addressed multiple issues. It ranges from bringing to light the dismal lives of the tribal community, the potholes in our system, existence of casteist slurs in work space and the much-debated EVM tampering. An interesting scene is when a candidate who has a tricolour shawl over him, comes in a car which has ‘Jai Shri Ram’ written over it and forcibly votes for his party with a hand symbol. Nobody is spared. All this is said/shown without a loud patronizing tone.
Unda Movie Review Rating Hit Or Flop
The lead character, a 40+ sub-Inspector Mani, played by Mammootty, is no alpha male. He falters at the face of an attack, tries his best to hold his troops together and doesn’t bat an eyelid when it comes to apologising to his much junior colleagues. The moment he realizes there is no external help coming, he takes up the job and leads from the front — a true sign of a leader. Mani is honest, sincere, humane and even heroic when it’s needed. For a man who has done several memorable brash-but-honest cop roles, Mammootty switches quite effortlessly to Mani, a template of the ordinary policemen we see around us in our daily lives.
All the nine characters in Mani’s unit have a distinct identity and the screenplay offers equal space for each one of them. Among them all, the most striking character was Biju Kumar, played by Lukman. Hailing from a lower caste, Biju is constantly taunted and hurled casteist slurs by his fellow policemen. There comes a point when he decides enough is enough and reacts fiercely. The following scene in which he opens up is brilliantly written, staged and performed. The fact that a lesser known actor holds the limelight and a superstar like Mammootty is made to listen to him is what makes ‘Unda’ stand apart. Similarly, Omkar Das Manikpuri’s character Kunal Chandh also prods a lot of unanswered questions at us.
Unda Movie Review Rating Hit Or Flop
Along with the performances, ‘Unda’ is aided by some excellent technical support as well. Prashanth Pillai’s score is unusually chilling that we, the audience, get to feel the tension looming throughout. And as the situation demands during the final act, he is game to lift the mood by adding a massy background score. Sham Kaushal’s realistic action choreography without any gravity defying stunts is also commendable.
Simply put, ‘Unda’ is not just your casual time pass entertainer. Yes, it does entertain and offer good laughs, but it is also an eye-opener to the society in which we live in. That makes it a highly recommended film.
Arjun Reddy remake: Here’s the teaser of Dhruv Vikram’s Adithya Varma
‘Adithya Varma’, the Tamil remake of ‘Arjun Reddy’ is gearing up to hit screens. The makers released the teaser just a while back through social medias. Gireesaaya, an erstwhile associate of Sandeep Vanga who had directed the original, ‘Arjun Reddy’, is helming the Tamil remake.
While Dhruv Vikram reprises the role played by Vijay Devarakonda in the original, Banita Sandhu of ‘October’ fame plays the female lead. Priya Anand is essaying the role done by Jia Sharma. Radhan, who composed for ‘Arjun Reddy’, is handling the music department in the Tamil version as well. Veteran Ravi K Chandran has cranked the camera.
It is worth a mention that the original Tamil remake of ‘Arjun Reddy’ was helmed by multiple National award winner Bala. The movie titled ‘Varma’ was on the verge of release when it was scrapped by producers E4 Entertainment as they were disappointed with the final output. The makers had later opted to reshoot the whole film with Dhruv as the lead but with a new director and supporting cast.
Here’s the teaser of Jayaram-Vijay Sethupathi starrer Marconi Mathai
The highly promising teaser of Jayaram’s new film ‘Marconi Mathai’ has just been released online. The teaser gives vibes of a feel-good fun entertainer. The movie marks Tamil star Vijay Sethupathi’s debut in Malayalam. From the teaser, we presume that he plays a big shot celebrity, probably himself.
‘Marconi Mathai’ is directed by Sanil Kalathil. The director has also penned the screenplay along with Rajish Mithila. The movie has Jayaram playing Mathai, an ex-army man who works as a security at a bank. The story revolves around Mathai’s romance with Anna, a sweeper woman working in the same bank. ‘Joseph’ fame Athmiya plays the female lead. Vijay Sethupathi’s is more of a guest appearance, but the character has much prominence in the storyline.
The movie’s technical crew comprises of Sajan Kalathil as the cinematographer and M Jayachandran as the composer. Shameer Muhammed is in charge of the edits. Satyam Audios is making their entry to production with ‘Marconi Mathai’.
Official: Here’s the release date of Pathinettam Padi
Actor-writer Shanker Ramakrishnan’s directorial debut ‘Pathinettam Padi’ has been in the making for some time now. After a long wait, the makers have finally announced the release date. The movie will be hitting screens on July 5, Friday. Along with the release date, a new poster featuring all the major actors was released last day through the movie’s official social media handle.
‘Pathinettam Padi’ has high expectations among a section of audience as it has some big star presence. Though the lead roles are played by newcomers, the cast also include stars like Mammootty, Prithviraj, Unni Mukundan and Arya.
‘Pathinettam Padi’ is said to be a story about the rivalry between a bunch teenagers from two different schools. Megastar Mammootty plays an extended cameo in the movie. His character named John Abraham Palackal is a very prominent and basically takes the story forward.
Prithviraj, Arya and Unni Mukundan will be seen in guest appearances. The cast also comprises of Priya Mani, Manoj K Jayan, Ahaana Krishna, Maniyanpilla Raju, Maala Parvathy, Biju Sopanam, Suraj Venjaramoodu and many others. Shaji Nadesan is producing the movie under the banner of August Cinema.
