Biju Menon as a police constable and Prithviraj as a retired havildar in Ayyappanum Koshiyum
Prithviraj-Biju Menon starrer ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’ was launched only recently. The movie is directed by Sachy, whose directorial debut ‘Anarkali’ also had the same lead actors. Director Ranjith is producing this upcoming movie under his banner Gold Coin Motion Picture Company.
‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’ has Biju Menon as Ayappan Nair, a middle-aged police constable posted in Attapadi and Prithviraj as Koshy Kurian, a havildar who is retired from army after 17 years of service. The movie is centred around these two characters and will explore the battle of egos between the two.
Full fledged shoot for the movie will be commencing in August, once the two actors are free from their other commitments.
Prithviraj, who is fresh from the blockbuster success of his directorial debut ‘Lucifer’, will soon join the sets of ‘Brother’s Day’. He also has Blessy’s ‘Aadujeevitham’ and Lal Jr’s ‘Driving License’ in the pipeline.
Biju Menon is currently working on Lal Jose’s ‘Nalpathiyonnu’. ‘Adhyarathri’ with director Jibu Jacob is another project in his kitty. The actor’s next release will be ‘Sathyam Paranja Vishwasikuvo’, directed by Prajith of ‘Oru Vadakkan Selfie’ fame.
Suriya’s next titled as Soorarai Pottru; Here’s the title look
The title poster of Suriya’s new film with director Sudha Kongara has just been released online. The movie has been titled as ‘Soorarai Pottru’ and the poster features Suriya standing near an aircraft and staring at it. There are unconfirmed reports about the movie being a biopic on GR Gopinath, the founder of Air Deccan and a retired captain of the Indian army. The title poster also hints at the same.
‘Soorarai Pottru’ is said to be a very ambitious project. The makers have been involved with the pre-production works for over a year now. Shalini Usha Nair and Sudha Kongara have together scripted the movie. Vijay Kumar of ‘Uriyadi’ fame is said to have penned the dialogues.
Malayali actress Aparna Balamurali has been signed as the female lead. GV Prakash is the composer and Niketh Bommireddy is handling the cinematography. Guneet Monga, who recently bagged the Oscar award for her acclaimed documentary production, ‘Period. End of Sentence’, is entering Kollywood with this movie. Her Sikhya Entertainment is producing this movie jointly with Suriya’s 2D Entertainment.
Dileep to team up with Vysakh for a mass entertainer!
Dileep currently has a handful of projects lined up. After being extremely choosy for the last two years, he has been on signing spree of late. After wrapping up KP Vyasan’s ‘Shubharathri’, Dileep will soon be joining the sets of ‘Jack Daniel’, directed by Jayasurya. The actor still has a few portions left to be completed for his ambitious film ‘Professor Dinkan’. ‘Parakkum Pappan’ with debutant Viyan Vishnu and ‘Pickpocket’ with P Balachandra Kumar are some of his other confirmed projects.
Dileep has also committed for films with veterans Joshiy, Priyadarshan and Vysakh. With Vysakh, it is said to be a mass entertainer. Udhayakrishna is scripting the movie. Udhayakrishna-Vysakh combo have delivered two back to blockbusters in ‘Pulimurugan’ and ‘Madhura Raja’.So it will be interesting to see them collaborate with Dileep.
Official announcement is expected to be made shortly.
Prithviraj to reunite with Mammootty for Minister Raja!
Amidst high expectations, ‘Madhura Raja’ hit screens last day and has opened to great response. The movie has taken a solid opening at the Kerala box office. Though the numbers are yet to be officially announced, it is said to be one of the highest for a Mammootty starrer. The movie was released in 261 screens in Kerala, besides 281 screens outside the state and 274 in the overseas region.
Directed by Vysakh, ‘Madhura Raja’ is the spiritual successor to his own 2009 superhit film ‘Pokkiriraja’. Mammootty and Prithviraj played the lead roles as brothers in that film, but when it came to ‘Madhura Raja’, the latter’s character Surya was absent. It is now said that the makers are planning a third part in the Raja franchise and Prithviraj will be joining back with the team.
‘Madhura Raja’ ends with a cue about third part, as the end card shows ‘Minster Raja – coming soon’. As per reports, the makers are planning to release the movie for next Vishu. It remains to be seen how it materializes as both Mammootty and Prithviraj have multiple projects lined up. We will have to wait for an official word before further speculations.
Athiran: A fascinating thriller that deserves a big screen watch
Athiran has to be one of the most secretive films made in Malayalam cinema in recent times. All through the shoot and post-production, the makers were tight-lipped about the genre and all other details. And as it turned out to be, that has proved to be a great call as it raised the curiosity of what’s in store. The trailer, which was out just a few days back before release, gave slight hints but without revealing too much about the storyline. So the intrigue factor was there throughout. Let’s see what the movie eventually has to offer.
The movie is set in the early 70s in a mysterious mental asylum that’s located deep in the forests, far away from regular human settlements. For a mystrey thriller like this, it’s the best possible ambience. Add to that, the asylum resembles a haunted palace with only a handful of inhabitants. Dr MK Nair from Trivandrum Medical College reaches the hospital for inspection and submit a report to the government. But on his arrival, he senses something worth with the place and goes on unraveling quite a few mysteries. What’s the mystery? Does he manage to resolve them? Let’s not go further and spoil the fun.
Debutant director Vivek’s storyline is quite simple and has some obvious inspirations, but as a director he shows a lot of promise. Aided by PF Mathews’ skills as a screenwriter, Vivek has churned out a quality mystery thriller, that’s very unusual in Malayalam. If one pays close attention to the proceedings, the plot becomes predictable after a point, but it’s still a very engrossing watch.
Athiran Movie Poster
For a mystery thriller to work, creating the right ambience is very important. Vivek and his team of technicians devise an atmosphere that’s spooky and enthralling at the same time. Anu Moothedath’s cinematography is devoid of gimmicks and instead relies in an organic tension building process. He is ably supported by Ghibran, whose background score is the real backbone of the movie. A particular bit that he has composed for the Kalari portions was kick-ass. The score helps a great deal in holding our attention and keep us on the toes. The three songs composed by PS Jayahari are perfectly in blend with the narrative, especially the title track that conveys the mood perfectly and sets the ball rolling.
Coming to the performances, Sai Pallavi and Fahadh Faasil hold most of the screen space and it’s the former who emerges the winner. Not that Fahadh isn’t impressive; he is in his elements, but Sai Pallavi has the more challenging part to essay and she nails it. Since the character is autistic, the actress mouths only four to five words in the entire movie, but for a gifted actor like her, dialogues hardly matter. I’ve always felt that Renji Panicker has a mass appeal that no other senior actor has, and ‘Athiran’ is yet another testament to that.
Athiran Movie Poster
Bottom line is that ‘Athiran’ is an experiment that ticks almost all the right boxes. It is totally worth the time and money. Just make sure you watch it in a theatre with good sound system and projection.
Kaappaan teaser to be released for Tamil New Year?
KV Anand’s ‘Kaappaan’ is one of the much awaited biggies in Tamil cinema this year. The movie directed by KV Anand has a star-studded cast lead by Suriya and Mohanlal. Arya, Sayyeshaa, Boman Irani, Samuthirakani and Shamna Kasim are also playing crucial roles in the movie. Lyca Productions is producing the movie, which is scheduled for release in August this year.
Latest buzz is that the makers are planning to release a teaser tomorrow for Tamil New Year. Though the official announcement is yet to be made, fans in social medias are already excited about the update. ‘Kaappaan’ is touted to be an action packed thriller in which Mohanlal plays the Indian Prime Minister’s role. Suriya essays the role of a high-rank National Security Guard (NSG) officer, who is in charge of the PM’s security. The movie basically revolves around these two characters. Mohanlal and Suriya had shot together for their combination scenes in London, Chennai and in several locations in North India.
‘Kaappaan’ has cinematography handled by MS Prabhu and music by Harris Jayaraj.
Excellent opening for Madhura Raja at Kerala box office
As expected, Mammootty starrer Madhura Raja has take a solid opening at the Kerala box office. Though the figures are yet to be officially announced, it is said to be one of the highest for a Mammootty starrer. The movie was released in 261 screens in Kerala, besides 281 screens outside the state and 274 in the overseas region.
Shortly after the opening shows got over, social medias were filled with positive talks about the movie. The Vyskah directorial delivered exactly what it promised – a complete mass entertainer for the festival season. It is the kind of film that families would love to watch during this holiday season. Thanks to the positive word of mouth, weekend shows in all major centres are showing good occupancy.
‘Madhura Raja’ is the spiritual successor to Mammootty’s 2009 superhit film ‘Pokkiriraja’. Udhayakrishna has scripted the movie. The movie stars Jai, Mahima Nambiar, Anna Reshma Rajan, Shamna Kasim, Jagapathi Babu, Siddique, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Salim Kumar, Vijayaraghavan and Nedumudi Venu in supporting roles.
As we already know, Vijay Sethupathi is making his Malayalam debut this year with ‘Marconi Mathai’, which also stars Jayaram in the lead. The movie directed by Sanil Kalathil went on floors early this year, but Vijay Sethupathi joined the sets only today. Jayaram took to his social media handle to share the news about ‘Makkal Selvan’ joining the team.
‘Marconi Mathai’ has Jayaram playing Mathai, an ex-military 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. Vijay Sethupathi is said to be playing a mysterious character who goes around solving others problems and spreading happiness.
Director Sanil Kalathil has scripted the movie jointly with Rejish Midhila. Sajan Kalathil is the cinematographer and M Jayachandran is the composer. Shameer Muhammed is in charge of the edits. Satyam Audios are making their entry to production with this movie.
As informed earlier, the first single from the upcoming Suriya starrer NGK has been released online. The song titled ‘Thandalkaaran’ is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and lyrics is penned by Kabilan. KG Ranjith has rendered this impressive track. This Selvaraghavan directorial is a political film and the song encapsulates it perfectly.
NGK has high expectations among the Tamil audience as Suriya is teaming up with Selvaraghavan for the first time. The director is known for helming several cult films like ‘Polladhavan’, ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’ and ‘Kadhal Kondein’. The teaser of NGK was intriguing and Tue movie promises to showcase an unseen side of Suriya, the actor.
NGK has Suirya playing Nanda Gopala Kumaran, a small time politician who makes his way up to become an MLA. Sai Pallavi and Rakul Preet Singh play the two female leads in the movie. Bala Singh, Mansoor Ali Khan, Ponvannan, Thalaivasal Vijay, Guru Somasundaram and Aruldoss are also part of the supporting cast. Dream Warrior Pictures is producing the movie which is scheduled for release on May 31.
Madhura Raja is an absolute fun ride; Particularly enjoyed Mammokka’s mass intro scene and action sequences: Unni Mukundan
Megastar Mammootty’s ‘Madhura Raja’ has hit screens today and has opened to largely positive response. The movie was touted to be a full-on mass entertainer and it seems like the movie has delivered what it promised. Vysakh has directed the movie and is scripted by Udhayakrishna. Social medias are abuzz with positive talks about the movie. Meanwhile, actor Unni Mukundan took to his official handle to share his thoughts on the movie. He has written,
“You like fight, I like fight, we like fight, I like fighters”
Watched Madhura Raja. It is absolutely a fun ride with elements of humor, action and emotions, which will cater to the likes of families and kids alike. Particularly enjoyed Mammokka’s mass intro scene and action sequences. The movie is an absolute delight for all fans and movie lovers. A big shout out to Vysakh ettan for such top notch direction, that will set a bench mark for all directors, such impeccable scripting by Udayettan and stellar performances by all the actors. Once again Mammokka has proven “രാജ സൊൽരത് താൻ സെയ്വാൻ, സെയ്യരത് മട്ടും താൻ സൊൽവാൻ”
Going by the reviews and the initial response, ‘Madura Raja’ looks like a sure shot hit. It is a kind of film that families would love to watch during this holiday season.
