Jayasurya’s next with Lilli fame Prasobh Vijayan starts rolling
Jayasurya, who is fresh from winning the Kerala State Award, has started shooting for his next. He is teaming up with director Prasobh Vijayan, who made an impressive debut last year with ‘Lilli’. The movie started rolling recently with a customary pooja ceremony. Jayasurya, Shruthi Ramachandran and other crew members were present. Mukesh R Mehta, AV Anoop and CV Sarathi are jointly producing the movie under the banner of E4 Entertainment.
This yet-to-be titled movie is scripted by Francis Thomas and dialogues are penned by Ratheesh Ravi. Ansarsha is the cinematographer and Jakes Bejoy of ‘Ranam’ and ‘Queen’ fame has been signed as the composer. Sound design will be handled by Vishnu Govind and Sree Sankar of Sound Factory.
Prasobh Vijayan’s ‘Lilli’, a hard-hitting survival thriller, was a daring attempt in Malayalam. Though the movie failed to do well commercially, it got appreciation after its DVD release. It will be interesting to see what the director has in store for an incredibly talented actor like Jayasurya.
Thalanarizha: Indrajith to star in Lucifer editor Samjith Muhammed’s directorial debut
Indrajith Sukumaran had a dull 2018, with only release in ‘Mohanlal’. But this year looks promising as he has some big films in his kitty. He was most recently seen in a crucial cameo role in his brother Prithviraj’s directorial debut ‘Lucifer’. Indrajith’s performance as the slightly eccentric whistleblower is garnering praise from the audience and critics alike. The actor is also part of Aashiq Abu’s ‘Virus’, Rajeev Ravi’s ‘Thuramukham’ and debutant Kiran Prabhakaran’s ‘Thakkol’.
We now hear that Indrajith has signed another new film. Titled as ‘Thalanarizha’, the film marks the directorial debut of Samjith Muhammed, the editor of ‘Lucifer’. He has also edited films like ‘Lingaa’, ‘Puthiya Mugham’, ‘Hero’ and ‘1971 Beyond Borders’.
Indrajith has pinned high hopes on ‘Thalanarizha’. According to him, it’s a thriller with a very fresh screenplay. The movie also marks the comeback of yesteryear actress Jalaja after a gap of 27 long years. She was a leading actress in the 70s and 80s, noted in films like ‘Ulkkadal’, ‘Chaakara’, ‘Venal, ‘Yavanika’, ‘Chillu’ and ‘Perumthachan’.
More details regarding the movie are expected to be officially announced in the coming days.
Dileep and Nadirshah’s friendship goes back to the 90s from their mimicry days. Over the years, they both managed to carve a place for themselves in the industry. While Dileep concentrated in acting, Nadirshah tried his hand in different arenas – acting, playback singing, music composing, writing and now direction. After a long gap, the duo is now set to appear together on screen.
Nadirshah is playing a crucial role in Dileep’s upcoming movie ‘Shubharathri’, directed by KP Vyasan. He last acted in the Kalabhavan Mani starrer ‘Ben Johnson’, released fourteen years back in 2005. Shoot for ‘Shubharathri’ is currently progressing. The movie also stars Siddique and Anu Sithara in major roles.
Nadirshah meanwhile has his new film, ‘Mera Naam Shaji’ gearing up for release.The movie starring Asif Ali, Biju Menon and Baiju is scheduled to hit screens on April 5. Nadirshah has two other films coming up. He is set to direct Mammootty in a comedy thriller titled ‘I’m a Disco Dancer’. ‘Keshu Ee Veedinte Nathan’ with Dileep is also in the pipeline.
Lucifer takes massive opening; Fails to beat Odiyan record
Mohanlal starrer ‘Lucifer’, which got released yesterday, has opened to phenomenal response worldwide. Though the box office numbers are yet to be formally announced, it is said that the movie has taken an extraordinary first day gross at the Kerala box office. Currently, Mohanlal’s own ‘Odiyan’ occupies the first position with a gross of Rs 7.22 crores. It had over 1950 shows on the opening day. Compared to that, ‘Lucifer’ has had around 1600 shows. So it is most likely that Odiyan’s record remains untouched.
While ‘Odiyan’ garnered mixed to negative reviews, ‘Lucifer’ has got thumbs up from the majority audience. Fans are super thriller with how the movie has turned out. Trade experts believe that the movie will enjoy long run like ‘Drishyam’ and ‘Pulimurugan’. Talks within the industry and cyber space suggest that ‘Lucifer’ is well on course to become the next industry hit.
‘Lucifer’ directed by Prithviraj is a complete mass entertainer with a political background. Mohanlal plays the lead role of Stephen Nedumbally. Vivek Oberoi, Tovino Thomas, Sai Kumar, Manju Warrier, Saniya Iyappan, Indrajith Sukumaran, Nyla Usha and Suresh Chandra Menon play crucial roles. Prithviraj also appears in a cameo role. The presence of such a big star cast, Prithviraj’s directorial skills and above all, the celebration of Mohanlal, the superstar, has all worked in the movie’s favour.
Dhanush plays a dual role in Asuran; Check out these new stills
As we already know, Dhanush and director Vetrimaaran are teaming up for a new movie titled ‘Asuran’. Shoot for the movie is currently progressing at a brisk pace. Malayali actress Manju Warrier makes her Tamil debut with this movie, which also has Pasupathi in a prominent role.
‘Asuran’ has Dhanush playing dual role as father and son. He sports a 45-year-old look, which was revealed in the first look poster. Actor Karunas’ son Ken plays the younger version of the son character. The movie which is based on Poomani’s novel ‘Vekkai’ novel is said to be a rural drama set between 60s and 80s.
Asuran Tamil Movie Latest Stills Photos
‘Asuran’ has GV Prakash handling the music department and R Velraj cranking the camera. Dhanush has previously collaborated with director Vetrimaaran for acclaimed films like ‘Polladhavan’, ‘Aadukalam’ and ‘Vada Chennai’. All the aforementioned films were highly acclaimed. ‘Vekkai’ is also expected to be a quality film from the duo.
Mohanlal, Tovino and Prithviraj celebrate the success of Lucifer
Mohanlal starrer ‘Lucifer’ has opened to phenomenal response from the audience across Kerala. Though the box office numbers are yet to be formally revealed, it is most likely that the movie has taken a record breaking opening. Since theatres couldn’t accommodate the huge crowd inflow, more than 100 special shows were added.
Meanwhile, the core team of ‘Lucifer’ had a small get-together to celebrate the movie’s success. Mohanlal, his wife Suchithra, Prithviraj, his wife Supriya and Tovino Thomas celebrated the movie’s success. The team had all reasons to celebrate as the movie is certain to become a huge blockbuster. Talks are already on that the movie is on course to become the next industrial hit.
‘Lucifer’ is a big treat for Mohanlal fans, who have long been waiting to see the star in such glory. Social media forums are abuzz with reviews and various other discussions on the movie. Prithviraj’s highly impressive directorial skills are also being praised widely.
‘Lucifer’ will have a free run in the Kerala box office till the Vishu releases join the party. Definitely good signs for the industry and trade.
Lucifer Review: A fanboy’s tribute to his matinee idol
So amidst all the fanfare and hype, ‘Lucifer’ has finally hit screens worldwide. With Prithviraj Sukumaran calling shots for the first time and Mohanlal playing the lead, there is no way this film could have escaped from the burden of expectations. Let’s see how the movie turned out to be.
The movie opens with the passing away of a big political kingpin. Now there’s an uncertainty regarding who will lead the party next. Obviously eyes turn towards the immediate family, because it’s India and we encourage dynastic politics. As Tovino’s character says, Indian politics is the world’s biggest comedy and we are shown why. Murali Gopy is well known for his ability to write satire and infuse current issues seamlessly in his scripts. ‘Lucifer’ is a perfect playground for him, where he throws jibes on the face. When the dynastic politics events unfold, we know who is being mocked here. The writer has taken inspiration from today’s real life incidents and asked a few relevant questions. Who funds these political parties? How is the media influenced? How does these newsroom discussions manipulate a commoner? Who exactly decides the way a system functions?
At the centre of this gripping political drama is Stephen Nedumbally, a popular figure in the State’s local politics. He is the lone obstacle for the evil-minded and they plot plans to wipe him out. But Stephen is much bigger than their reach. He is a mysterious character with a shady past. He is no saint, instead he calls himself a devil. As the character perfectly puts, the game is not between good and the bad; it’s a battle between evil and evil. “Who is the lesser evil” is for you to find out.
Lucifer Movie Stills Photos
Prithviraj Sukumaran’s filmmaking is highly impressive. Being a self confessed fan of Mohanlal, he is well aware of how the audience wish to see the superstar on-screen. Simply put, Prithviraj and Murali Gopy have successfully overcome the big challenge of satiating Mohanlal’s massive fan base without compromising on content.
‘Lucifer’ is a big scale film and that’s there to be seen in almost every single frame. The scenes involving the massive crowd reminded me of the IV Sasi films of the late 80s and 90s. While the drama part takes its time to unravel, Prithviraj, at regular intervals has smartly placed mass moments to keep the fans excited. There are a few throwback moments to Mohanlal’s old films and dialogues.
Lucifer Movie Stills Photos
‘Lucifer’ is not just a Mohanlal show. All the actors have good space to perform and every single one of them have justified their casting. Vivek Oberoi probably had the most screentime and with Vineeth’s powerful voice, he looked perfect for the part. But it was surprising to see Indrajith’s character Govardhan getting sidelined. His character showed a lot of promise. Manju Warrier, Tovino Thomas, Sai Kumar, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Nyla Usha and Fazil were the other notable performers.
Sujith Vaassudev’s cinematography is excellent and captures the grandeur of the movie. The background by Deepak Dev is electrifying and is arguably his career best work. The Tamil song but that is played during one of the action blocks is goosebumps inducing stuff.
On the downside, the philosophical dialogues were hard to comprehend and seemed pretentious at times. It was also disappointing to see the makers resorting to a cliched item song followed by a hero-villain showdown in the climax. The terrific tail-end though managed to cover it up to an extent.
In a nutshell, ‘Lucifer’ is what ‘Petta’ was for Rajinikanth. It’s a fanboy’s gift to his star and fellow fans.
Here’s the trailer of Raghava Lawrence’s Kanchana 3
The official trailer of Raghava Lawrence starrer ‘Kanchana 3’ has just been released. As expected, it gives glimpses of another loud horror comedy with all masala elements in it. ‘Muni’ aka ‘Kanchana’ franchise enjoys great popularity among the Tamil masses. Made on a horror comedy template, all the films – ‘Muni’, ‘Kanchana’ (Muni 2), ‘Kanchana 2- Ganga’ (Muni 3) – have been successful at the box office.
Kanchana 2 was a massive hit notching up a theatrical earning of over Rs 100 crores. Lawrence himslef directed all the three films.
This upcoming movie is also helmed by him. He appears in an old man’s look in the trailer. The movie has three female leads in Oviya, Vedika and Niki Tamboli. Kovai Sarala, Devadarshini and Sriman will be reprising their roles from the previous parts. Comedian Soori is another new addition to the cast.
In the technical crew, Vetri and Sarvesh Murarri have cranked the camera. For music, the makers have hired the services of Doo Paa Doo, a Chennai based firm which aggregates works of composers and lyricists. Ruben is the editor. Lawrence’s banner Raghavendra Production is funding the movie.
It’s a clean U for Mera Naam Shaji; All set for release on April 5
The Nadirshah directorial ‘Mera Naam Shaji’ has been censored with a clean U certificate. The movie is now confirmed to hit screens on April 5. It will officially the kick-start the race for the Vishu box office. Mammootty’s ‘Madura Raja’ and Fahadh Faasil’s ‘Athiran’ are the other two biggies that are also scheduled for Vishu.
‘Mera Naam Shaji’ starring Asif Ali, Biju Menon and Baiju Santhosh in the leads is expected to be an outright fun-filled mass entertainer. The teaser and songs released so far have also hinted at the same. It is a story about three men named Shaji, who are from different parts of Kerala, meeting accidentally at a point.
While Baiju’s character Shaji Sukumaran is from Trivandrum, Asif Ali’s Shaji George is from Ernakulam. Biju Menon’s character is from Kozhikode. Nikhila Vimal plays the female lead. Dileep Ponnan and Shani Khader have penned the story. The former has also written the screenplay and dialogues. B Rakesh is producing the movie under the banner of Universal Cinema.
Mohanlal, Prithviraj and Tovino watch Lucifer with fans
The two year long wait for ‘Lucifer’ has finally ended today. The movie has been released in over 3000 centers across the globe, which includes 400 theatres in Kerala. Specially charted fans shows have already started and the response so far has been extremely positive. Ernakulam’s Kavitha theatre, one of the premium screens in Kerala, had some distinguished guests for the fans show.
Mohanlal, his wife Suchithra, Tovino Thomas and producer Antony Perumbavoor were present for watching the movie along with the fans. It is a very rare occurrence as it is not very often that superstars like Mohanlal and Prithviraj attend an opening day fans show. This further shows the confidence that the team has on the movie.
‘Lucifer’ directed by Prithviraj has Mohanlal in the lead role as Stephen Nedumbally. Vivek Oberoi, Tovino Thomas, Indrajith Sukumaran, Manju Warrier, Bala, Nyla Usha and many others are part of the cast. Prithviraj also appears in a brief cameo role. The movie has such tremendous hype due to multiple factors. Prithviraj and Mohanlal are teaming up for the first time; Murali Gopy’s script; and the presence of such a big star cast. The trailer also heightened the expectations of the audience.
If the initial response is anything to go by, the movie is well on the way for a record breaking opening.
