Cinema, Karam, Kapi

The much expected and hyped Kanguva feat. Actor Surya released on 14 Nov. amidst much fanfare. Will Kanguva be the saviour for the Tamil Box Office in 2024 is yet to be seen. The film will release in  Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and  over a dozen foreign languages worldwide.  Produced at an estimated budget of INR 300 – 350 Cr by Studio Green and Directed by Siva, known for his hatrick success with 3 back-to back films feat. Actor Ajith Kumar, this socio-fantasy drama is a thriller that doesn’t let down one’s expectations, neither is an edge-of-the-seat thriller that one wishes to see in Indian cinema. As the movie begins, a young boy escapes from a lab under mysterious circumstances and is being chased by the security guards. He boards a moving goods train.  The film begins in 2024 where Francis Theodore (Surya) and Angelina (Disha Patani), ex-lovers are bounty hunters helping the Goa Police to nab notorious criminals. The film opens with a beach party where everyone ...

Just finished watching Vettaiyan for the third time on Sunday.  As per a post by Lyca on social media, the film is said to have garnered atleast ₹240 Cr (Gross) at the worldwide BO during the 4-day festival weekend. Given that the reviews for the film have been fairly positive, Vettaiyan is expected to fill atleast 60% occupancy over weekdays and 100% on weekends until Deepavali. An Orange Alert for rains has been announced due to which occupancy during the week could reduce.  That’s a good 3 week run for the movie and is expected to earn around ₹350 - ₹400 Cr in collections, if not more. Given the ongoing tiff between Producers and Exhibitors, the movie is expected to hit Amazon Prime OTT platform only around November end, when the 7-week window ends. Theatres, on the other hand are a happy lot with F&B outlets overflowing with guests, a clear indication of family audiences.  The movie itself has earned great reviews from families except for 1or 2 scenes, which have...

The much anticipated Vettaiyan feat. Superstar Rajinikanth and Bollywood thespian Amitabh Bachchan released worldwide on 10 October. The cop story has a regular plot but with a twist.   And when two top stars of the country come together, it is sure to be a blockbuster in the making.   Athiyan (Rajinikanth) is a Superintendent of Police posted in Nagercoil district. His past reveals that the cop is a seasoned encounter specialist.   In the first few scenes, we see a very formulaic encounter of sorts which we have seen dime a dozen times in Indian cinema. That was for starters.  Saranya (Dushara Vijayan) is a teacher at a Government school and helps Athiyan nab drug peddlers. She is named among the Best Teachers in the State and gets a transfer to be posted in Chennai city as per long term wish.  Athiyan’s wife is Thara (Manju Warrier) who supports the cop in his duties while running a social media channel “Galatta Kitchen” along with their nephew.  Saranya ...

What happens in the island, stays in the island. Perhaps not, if it is the death (rather, murder) of someone on the eve of a high profile wedding! Merritt Monaco (Meghann Fahy) is one of the closest friends of bride to be Amelia Sacks (Eve Hewson). She is getting married to Benji Winbury (Billy Howie), the second son of Greer Garrison Winbury (Nicole Kidman) and Tag Winbury (Live Schriber).  Greer is a prolific author and has several books to her credit, while her latest one is awaiting a launch right after the wedding is over. She is not happy with her son’s choice of bride, as Amelia doesn’t match the “class” of her clan, and hence always looks down upon her.  Tag is a chilled out husband of a popular persona, that is his wife. He makes it appear that their wedding is just the kind of story people love to believe. The media makes a celebration of their relationship, calling Greer and Tag “ The Perfect Couple ”.  Though, they are exactly the opposite in real life. Tag is...

The Police force of India tries its best to reign in on the rowdies and the anti-social elements to ensure peace is upheld all the time. Though policing is a state-specific department, Indian Police Service (IPS) is governed through the Central Ministry, directly under the Ministry of Home. Some of the notorious goondas and culprits have largely arisen from specific cities. And Mumbai is no exception. While one wouldn’t say the city tops (with the most number of such elements), the city’s crime scene has always been on top, especially for film makers. Murshid is one such subject, depicting the behind the scenes of what happens in the lives of such rowdy elements. Two men deployed by Farid (Zakir Hussain) are to exchange money for drugs with the men of an operator who has a Talibani background and is based in Dubai. While exchanging the “goods”, one of the men shoot 3 members of the other group and tries to escape with the booty – money and drugs while the other guy rushes to the office...