KGF Chapter 2 Box Office Collection Day 1: KGF 2 earned nett ₹134.50 cr in India on Day 1 of its release. The Hindi version of the film earned nett ₹53.95 on its opening day, becoming the biggest opener in India.

New Delhi: KGF: Chapter 2, which hit theatres on April 14 in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam languages, is taking the box office by storm. The Yash-starrer, which had broken day 1 gross of all post-pandemic films with just advance bookings, broke more records across India on its opening day. The Hindi version of the film has become the biggest opener in India. Also Read| KGF Chapter 2 (Hindi) beats all post-pandemic films’ day 1 gross even before release, earns ₹20 crore in advance booking

KGF: Chapter 2 earned nett ₹134.50 cr in India on Day 1 of its release. Trade analyst Ramesh Bala tweeted on Friday that the Hindi version of KGF 2 earned nett ₹53.95 on its opening day, becoming the biggest opener in India. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh also tweeted that KGF 2 has demolished opening records of the 2018 film Thugs of Hindostan and the 2019 film War, which earned ₹50.75 cr and ₹ 51.60 cr on their opening days respectively.

The post KGF 2 Box Office Collection Day 1: Yash’s Film Sets Record With Over ₹ 134.50 Crore, Now Biggest Opener appeared first on The Gulf Indians.

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Director Basil Joseph, in collaboration with writers Arun Anirudhan and Justin Mathew, have successfully transformed Tovino Thomas into Jaison Varghese who is struck by lightning one night, develops superhuman strength and rechristens himself saviour of this little hamlet in the Kerala countryside.

Until this sensational turn of events, Jaison is an ordinary hard-working Indian youngster who fancies himself to be a cool dude, helps in his father’s tailoring business and dreams of leaving the country for greener pastures in the Western hemisphere where he believes he will make big money since “tailors are in great demand in America – you see, no one knows how to sew there since they wear only readymade garments”.

Minnal Murali is Basil’s tribute to the Hollywood superhero genre. Minnal Murali is a superhero origin story. The fight sequences are well-conceived and executed.

Much-acclaimed stunt choreographer Supreme Sundar, an Indian cinema veteran and action director Vlad Rimburg are part of the team.

Tovino Thomas is identified by his innocent appearance, not muscle or an adherence to conventional notions of masculinity. He is an inspired choice for a superhero because it is only once you see Jaison step into his avatar as Minnal Murali that you realise the importance of the disconnect between the young star’s endearing persona and the body he has built for this role.

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The film F•E•A•R: Face Everything And Rise features the exceptional courage of Annie Koshy, an Indian born Canadian, as she shares her personal story of being torn between cultural norms and her dreams of being a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur. She is a role model for many women who are seeking to unshackle themselves from cultural expectations and break free from the social stigmas that keep them boxed in. The film, which was produced under the banner of GTA South Asian Media Network Inc and the Rising Star Experience, has been recognized across the world with over thirty awards or selections. The latest awards received are for Best Original Score (Jayadeven Nair et al) and Best VFX and Colour (Serge Velbovets).

Directed by Manny Bains (Rising Star Movie Experience) and Serge Velbovets (Velbix Films), F•E•A•R features expert contributions by Satish Verma, and Rav Bains. Shot in and around Toronto for the most part, the film features original footage from central and southern India. Both Annie and Jayadevan Nair are from the southern state of Kerala. His involvement in segments of the background score helped bridge the east-west components of the film. The film score as a whole is a combination of pieces by Vishal Gupta, the Cocophonic team of Tony Singh, Julia Tynes and Randy James and Jayadevan Nair with contributions from other talented composers from around the world.

Manny is passionate about creating films that bring about social change, that can have a big impact on the world at large. He continues to lend himself to passionate, empowering projects that align with his morals and values and help the world move to a more empowering, and more positive place. “During the shooting process, I felt a stronger connection with this issue, and as I watched the playbacks I became more emotionally involved with this subject matter. It was a bit of an emotional ride, to say the least. I hope F.E.A.R can inspire many people to live their dreams and have the courage just like Annie did, to break through the barriers to live a fuller and joyful life and thus become happier, fulfilled and become a bright shiny light for others to follow as well.”

For Serge Velbovets, this film touches the nerve of the global society we all live in. “This film relates to the systemic society problems that go far beyond the South Asian Community. The topics the film raises are related to many countries and regions. As for a film director with a background in journalism, it was very important for me to make this film as authentic as possible. That’s why all interviews were unscripted and all emotions were raw and real. I saw Annie going through all circles of her pain again during the interviews, but I believe this pain will empower so many women around the world who appeared in the similar situation.”

F•E•A•R has won a Gold Remi at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival for Best Documentary.  Winning Remi is not just prestigious, this film team is amongst a remarkable number of WorldFest discoveries including The Coen Brothers, John Lee Hancock, Ang Lee, Spike Lee, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, and hundreds more.

WorldFest Artistic and Program Director Kathleen Haney said,“We feel that it is impossible to properly emphasize individual films when the festival screening schedule is too large. We will concentrate on only the very best, selecting new American & Foreign Independent films that truly deserve a premiere at WorldFest. By doing so, we can concentrate on the films and their filmmakers and enable our faithful audience the opportunity to see each and every film!”

WorldFest was founded over 53 years ago as Cinema Arts, an International Film Society in August, 1961. WorldFest became the third competitive international film festival in North America, following San Francisco and New York. WorldFest is the oldest Independent Film & Video Festival in the Whole Wide World. It evolved into a competitive International Film Festival in April, 1968.

 Hollywood North Film Awards mission is to promote and award heart-wrenching, world-building, character driven films that push the boundaries of storytelling in Canada, and all over the world. They strive to bring attention to stories that have yet to be told, and to award creative excellence for exemplary filmmaking achievements.

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Mammootty’s 1 (One) has dropped on Netflix at an opportune moment – when Kerala awaits State Assembly elections results that is expected to make history. Exit polls as well as pre-poll surveys have predicted a return to power of the LDF government under Pinarayi Vijayan, marking a break from the State’s see-saw politics.

Although initially there was speculation that Chief Minister Kadakkal Chandran essayed by Mammootty was inspired by Pinarayi’s no-nonsense politics, the film’s scriptwriters Bobby and Sanjay clarified that it was a neutral character, the kind of leader the public desires. And only films and superstars can give birth to such ideal leaders who rise above coalition pressures and the corruption ingrained in the system.

There are a few leaders and real-life incidents that events in the story resemble. The shiny black shoes – the first visual as the protagonist is introduced – of the mundu-clad reel life CM is quite like the real-life CM’s, the auto ride he takes during a traffic jam is reminiscent of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s recent escapade and the customer-delivery man spat is not too different from the experience of a Zomato delivery boy in Bangalore. Ridiculing Chandran for his father’s occupation is also similar to the casteist taunts Pinarayi has occasionally faced. Of course, the script must have preceded some of these incidents but the political churn we witness here is part of the package that movies of this genre gift the audience. Political movies have often been a hit with the Kerala audience, and One is no different.

The film has deftly incorporated the power of technology and social media into its plot. If a viral Facebook post by a college student, Sanal, against the CM prepares the setting for the meeting between a young citizen and the No. 1 persona in the State (the CM’s car number plate also gets ample coverage to bring in the relevance of the movie title) as well as the superstar’s grand entry in the film, the CM is also shown using a laptop by himself and directing two enthusiastic college students to do a district-wise survey on elected members’ popularity.

The impressive star cast has both old timers and newcomers from Mamukoya and Jagadeesh to serial star Gayatri Arun. Joju George shines as the party president and the CM’s comrade-in-arms in his trademark easy style that we have seen in Joseph and June. Mathew Thomas of Thanneermathan Dinangal fame delivers as the diffident but sincere youngster who finds an ally in the CM while Ishaani Krishna makes her debut as the spunky college union chairman. The CM’s speech at his alma mater is preachy but not out of place.

The characters that don’t seem to gel are Murali Gopy as the ruthless Opposition leader – who looks more like a prosperous Abkari contractor – and Nimisha Sajayan as the CM’s niece who migrates to Canada. Note the point that Canada is one of the new greener pastures of the ambitious Malayali and even an idealistic leader cannot persuade his only surviving kin to serve the homeland. While we fear the worst, nothing much comes of the CM’s occasional memory lapses caused by an old head injury and we see him in the end as a populist CM who returns to power in the rough and tumble of Kerala politics.

Mammootty’s frame looms large in many scenes, a conscious effort to marry the magic of his on-screen persona with the charisma of a bachelor politician wedded to his party and ideals. The script also scores in projecting him as a bachelor who put his party above his family – there is no hassle of finding the perfect heroine who is neither too young nor too old for the superstar while the plot doesn’t have to include allegations of nepotism and corruption that a family man leader can face.

For the average Malayali who has grown up in Kerala, scanning political news in the newspaper as he sips his morning tea or discuss political developments at the local tea shop, the movie will not disappoint. We breathe a brand of politics that is still largely healthy, and One successfully tests our love for political stories while steering clear of communal issues.

After Arabikatha and Oru Indian Pranayakatha, One has given us a catchy political number – Janamanassinu Athipathi neeye – that will come in useful at political rallies.

One is definitely for Mammootty fans, and on May 2 when the election results are out, it will be a treat to return to your screens for 153 minutes and watch it yet again to celebrate the spirit of democracy.

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Set in the rural Mississippi (a southern US state), the film explores the interracial romance between an African-American man and Indian-American woman.

The movie featured Hollywood star Denzel Washington opposite Sarita Choudhary.

Responding to a user on Twitter, about the relevance of her films, Nair revealed she is on a mission to “resurrect” her movies.

She said “Mississippi Masala” is the first one as the year 2021 will mark its 30th anniversary.

“I’m on a mission. Resurrecting my films. ‘Mississippi Masala’ re-mastered & re-releasing on its 30th anniversary in 2021! We mattered long before movements woke up the masses,” the 63-year-old director wrote.

Also featuring Sharmila Tagore, Roshan Seth and Mohan Agashe, “Mississippi Masala” was released in France on September 18 in 1991 before making its debut in the UK and the US next year on January 17 and February 5, respectively.

It was well received by critics and earned a standing ovation at the Sundance Film Festival in 1992 and won an award at the Venice Film Festival.

Besides this film, the stage musical adaptation of Nair’s 2001 movie “Monsoon Wedding” will premiere in India in November, 2021.

Nair, whose directorial credits also include movies such as “Salaam Bombay”, “The Namesake” and “Queen of Katwe”, most recently worked on the series adaptation of Vikram Seth’s novel “A Suitable Boy”.

The show premiered on BBC One in the UK in July 2020, before hitting streamer Netflix in October.

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Amid huge pre-release hype elevated through controversies regarding the title and theme, Akshay Kumar’s new movie Laxmii was released on Disney+Hotstar on November 9. Directed by Raghava Lawrence, Laxmii is the remake of Tamil blockbuster Kanchana helmed by Lawrence himself.

A cliched theme

The film revolves around the life of Asif (Akshay Kumar), who is a rationalist. Asif is married to Rashmi (Kiara Advani). At one point in time, they decided to visit Rahmi’s parents who are living in a bungalow in Daman. Things soon get creepy when a supernatural power possesses Akshay Kumar’s body.

In old Indian movies, it will be the female protagonist who gets possessed by the ghost. But here, it is the male lead who gets possessed. However, the reason behind the demonic possession remains the same, and it has that old cliched theme where the ghost comes back to take vengeance against his feuds.

Laxmii fails to engage audiences

The film which falls under the horror-comedy genre literally failed to engage the audiences in its 140 minutes running time. The film is loaded with the same old stereotyped jokes, and some of them were stale which can be considered as an insult to the transgender community.

Even though the film was sold in the name of transgenders, Laxmii is nothing but a joke on the community. This movie too looks at this community as a group of violent people who demand justice by spilling blood.

A mediocre movie which is real torture

Laxmii is a film that is loaded with an ensemble star-cast. However, none of the actors including Akshay Kumar failed to impress the audiences. Kiara Advani had nothing much to do in this film, apart from running here and there out of fear.

Wonderful performers like Sharad Kelkar, Rajesh Sharma, Ayesha Raza Mishra, and Manu Rishi Chadha were completely wasted by the director in this movie.

Overall, Laxmii is nothing but a cliched horror movie with no elements of surprise. This film offers nothing new, and the makers would have considered dubbing Kanchana to Hindi before thinking about a remake.

Verdict: Better watch the original (1.5/5)

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani

Director: Raghava Lawerence

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Due to the coronavirus outbreak, several Bollywood movies have opted for OTT release, and one such movie which had its direct release on Disney+ Hotstar is Sadak 2, directed by Mahesh Bhatt. The film which had its premiere a few hours back is now receiving unanimously negative reviews from all corners, people are panning Mahesh Bhatt for making such an outdated film.

One of the major drawbacks of Sadak 2 is its cinematic language that was often used in the 1990s. With cliched proceedings and a predictable storyline, Sadak 2 offers real pain to the audiences, and there is not even a single moment that was capable to enthrall the viewers.

Sadak 2 is loaded with an ensemble star cast that includes Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur, Pooja Bhatt, and Makrand Deshpande. However, it was only Sanjay Dutt who succeeded in impressing the audiences with his charismatic screen presence. Sanjay Dutt brings the only moments of joy in this boring outing.

Makrand Deshpande as the fake baba literally failed to bring the villainism on-screen, while Alia has nothing much to do apart from running here and there to accomplish revenge. Gulshan Grover as Dilip Hathkata and Mohan Joshi as a corrupt police officer failed to make any impacts on screen.

Montages from the original Sadak, which was seen inside the movie shows how half-baked and amateurish this sequel is. Mahesh Bhatt’s screenplay is sluggish, and there is no freshness even in a single scene.

Following the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, a hate campaign is going on against Mahesh Bhatt for promoting nepotism, and for his alleged relationship with Rhea Chakraborthy. Due to this chaos, the trailer of Sadak became the second most disliked video on YouTube. However, after watching the movie, we believe that people who have disliked Sadak 2’s trailer were right about the fate of this flick.

Final verdict: Stay miles away from this half-baked movie that offers nothing new.

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The news regarding Soorarai Pottru’s online release was initially shared by musician GV Prakash Kumar on his Facebook page. The news soon went like wildfire on social media platforms, and people are now slamming the makers for making such a decision.

It should be noted that Soorarai Pottru is widely considered Suriya’s comeback movie by his fans. The actor has been now going through the toughest phase in his career, as most of his recent films failed to make any impacts at the box-office. Suriya fans were in a hope that the actor will reclaim his stardom by setting the theaters on fire with Soorarai Pottru.

Suriya fans argue that films like Soorarai Pottru demands theatrical watch, and it will be sheer injustice if the makers release it via OTT platforms. Recently, during an online interaction with fans, Suriya himself had claimed that he is eagerly awaiting to watch the movie on big screens.

Soorarai Pottri is directed by Sudha Kongara. The film is based on the life of GR Gopinath, Air Deccan founder. Apart from Suriya, this movie also stars Aparna Balamurali, Mohan Babu, Paresh Rawal, Urvashi, Jackie Shroff, and Sampath Raj in other prominent roles.

The film is jointly produced by Suriya and Guneet Monga under the banners 2D Entertainment and Sikhya Entertainment respectively.

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Kappela cast : Anna Ben, Roshan Mathew, Sreenath Bhasi
Director: Muhammed Musthafa
Verdict: Worth watching (4/5).

Kappela was a revelation – including its name. We have been so used to the English word chapel in Malayalam lingo that we forget that the original Latin word is the actual Malayalam one too. That it took debut director Muhammed Musthafa to bring it back to common parlance is ironical. But more importantly, he has brought in a pressing issue to the limelight – youth and their fascination for virtual friendships.

Here the kappela is only a small shrine of St Mary on the edge of a cliff in a non-descript village called Poovarmala in picturesque Wayanad. It is almost the private sanctuary of the heroine who goes to the shrine to pray and ask for guidance each time she is confused or worried. In the end, she goes to the kappela for thanksgiving – for saving her from danger and for the predictable but safe life she will lead. That she is able to come out of an ordeal unscathed and without the knowledge of her conservative and strict parents shows the power of her guardian angels – one spiritual and one human.

The heroine Jessy is the three film-old Anna Ben, who has done a commendable performance as a simple village girl from the high ranges longing for the beach and theatre and beauty parlor and falls for the deep baritone of an autorickshaw driver in another district. A wrong phone call leads to a budding romance between the two, and reaches a crescendo when she is desperate to escape an arranged alliance with Benny, who is so besotted that he uses her as the unsuspecting model for his new textile shop.

Sudhi Koppa as Benny looks the perfect rustic chap with his disarming yet genuine smile and his unwavering resolve to marry Jessy in spite of his domineering mother’s displeasure. He even suggests to her farmhand father if they could make her a doctor – that she has failed in four subjects in her 12th Boards is cleverly conveyed through the bursts of firecrackers at the church festival.

Roshan Mathew’s charm and versatility as an actor comes out well in this small neat story sans complex plots like in movies of yore. Like Fahadh Faasil, he belongs to the new breed of young Malayalam stars, willing to experiment with villainy or shades of grey. The twist in the plot in what looked like an ordinary romance is Kappela’s victory.

Sreenath Bhasi’s Roy lends mystery and the necessary stunts to bring in the dark underbelly of cities, where naïve village lasses can get trapped and traded if not for a chance savior. The Jessys in real life may not be as lucky; hopefully, young girls will remember this when they strike online friendships or elope with fly-by-night suitors.

The shutters of aanavandi, Kerala’s State transport with the elephant emblem, is used to convey the brief darkness in Jessy’s life while its lone flickering tubelight throws light on the state of our public transport. Jimshi Khalid’s cinematography is a visual treat as it captures the pristine beauty of Wayanad; the heaviness of raindrops brings the heroine’s trepidation to light as she embarks on a trip to the city to meet her beau.

Like the needle that runs through the movie title, the movie stitches piety with middle-class values and occupations. Jessy helps her seamstress mother with the embroidery and running errands in a lower middle-class household which cannot afford the daughters a smartphone or a bicycle. It is as true as life can get, and is devoid of any glamour. Interestingly, Jessy is seen with a small gold cross adorning her neckchain while Vishnu spots a tilak but the differences in religion doesn’t crop up in their conversations or their plans for the future.

Kappela, after its short theatrical run before the COVID-19 pandemic brought life to a standstill, is now streaming on Netflix.

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