After the flurry of new releases the previous week for the Independence Day in the country, this time we thought it would be a bit quiet on the OTT front. Far from it, this weekend too we have a clutch of interesting offerings. Just that our 5 picks are dominated by South Indian films and series — Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, to be precise.
Our choices for the week are the Tamil hit movie Yaanai, the Telugu flick Highway, the Malayalam flicks Makal and Heaven, and the Tamil web series Tamil Rockerz.
Also releasing this week are the Tamil movie Jiivi 2 (Aha), the Hindi web series Duranga (Zee5) and the Hindi movie Sherdil (Netflix). You can check them out, too.
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Heaven
Quick Details
Director: Unni Govindraj
Cast: Suraj Venjaramoodu, Nimisha Sajayan, Sudev Nair, Sudheesh, Joy Mathew, Jaffer Idukki, Vinaya Prasad, Alencier Ley Lopez
Language: Malayalam
Platform: Disney Plus Hotstar
Release date: Aug 19, 2022
Synopsis: Any movie featuring Suraj Venjaramoodu is worth watching is our abiding rule when it comes to Malayalam movies. The guy is such a terrific actor that you can watch all day even in a badly made movie. But Heaven, by all accounts when it released in theatres, is a well-made investigative thriller by the debutant director Unni Govindraj.
The story is about a widower cop, who also loses his son in a murder. His son is murdered visits a friend’s place, and there the friend”s family and him are all murdered in mysterious circumstances. The initial police investigation concludes that the murders took place as part of a robbery. And protocol precludes the dad cop from participating in the crime investigation. But an empathetic senior lets him carry out a parallel sleuthing. He discovers that the person whom the team has pinned the crime on is not the murderer. He (dad cop) is then asked to take over the investigation, which leads to the culprit.
Tamil Rockerz
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Director: Arivazhagan
Cast: Arun Vijay, Vani Bhojan, Ishwarya Menon, Azhagam Perumal, Vinodhini, G Marimuthu
Language: Tamil
Platform: SonyLiv
Release date: August 19, 2022.
Synopsis: One of the oldest film production houses, if not the oldest, in India, the AVM, is venturing into the digital space. And fittingly it debut web series is a delicious crime thriller on digital film piracy. ‘Tamil Rockers’ is a name that is well known in the film circles in Tamil Nadu for the notorious web leaks it throws up of almost all Tamil new releases. The web series Tamil Rockerz is about how it has a deleterious impact on the industry. But the story is on the lines of investigative thrillers, and is full of suspense and twists, and how vested interests within the industry too play spoilsport. The series has Arun Vijay playing the lead, and this is said to be his full-fledged digital debut.
“Tamil Rockerz deep dives into the dark side of the piracy world and unravels the industry’s constant battle against identifying the group that is involved in releasing pirated content. The show follows the journey of Rudra, a cop, who must fight against time, unruly fans, and an anonymous network of cyber pirates to secure a massively budgeted and highly anticipated movie, from the notorious piracy group,” the production house said in a promo statement.
Highway
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Director: K V Guhan
Cast: Anand Deverakonda, Manasa Radhakrishnan, Sayami Kher, Abhishek Banerjee
Language: Telugu
Platform: Aha
Release date: August 19, 2022.
Synopsis: Anand Deverakonda, the younger brother of the star Viajy Deverakonda, is an up and coming actor in Telugu in his own right. And so far in his fledgling career, he has had middling success. This is not the first time that an Anand’s movie is set for direct premiere on OTT. His Middle Class Melodies streamed directly on Amazon Prime Video in November 2020 at the height of the pandemic in India. It was a quaint little film that was unpretentious and heart-warming. His next movie, a suspense thriller, Pushpaka Vimanam, released in theatres, and did reasonably well.
His latest Highway is also said to be a psychological thriller. Directed and written by K V Guhan, the film’s story is about a photographer who falls in love with a girl. When things are going swimmingly well for the duo, they set out on a journey. In it, she gets kidnapped by a serial killer. Then it becomes a cat and mouse game.
Yaanai
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Director: Hari
Cast: Arun Vijay, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Samuthirakani, Yogi Babu, Ammu Abirami
Language: Tamil
Platform: Zee5
Release date: August 19, 2022.
Synopsis: Hari as a director is known for his small town-based family and action masala movies. His Singam franchise is in itself based on that formula. He is a past master in churning out such entertainers all through his career. But of late his movies haven’t done well, but with Yaanai he has made a comeback of sorts. With his brother-in-law Arun Vijay in the lead, Yaanai is a a typical action movie that is about the feuds of two big families. Set in and around Ramanathapuram district, the film, as in most Hari movies, also shoves into the story local ethos and sensibilities. Arun Vijay plays the young man who tries to prevent his wealthy, large family from being split up by their arch villains, who want to avenge the death of their brother, which they believe Arun Vijay’s family has caused. A pot-boiler of a film that works for the most part.
Makal
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Director: Sathyan Anthikad
Cast: Jayaram, Meera Jasmine, Devika Sanjay, Naslen, Innocent, Sreenivasan, Sidhique
Language: Malayalam
Platform: ManoramaMax
Release date: August 18, 2022.
Synopsis: For a movie that was released in theatres a few months back, Makal has taken its time to reach the streamer. The film brings together yesteryear hit combo of Jayaram and Meera Jasmin. And the film is also comeback for the ace director Sathyan Anthikad. His movies are peopled by small-town nice folks who are full of relatable family emotions. The movies are also filled with easy humour, and ends in a feel-good happy climax. Makal is also no exception to it. Though a bit predictable, the movie has some old-world charm that we have seen in previous Sathyan and Jayaram collaborations like Veendum Chila Veetukaryangal, Yathrakarude Shradhakku, Bhagyadevatha, and Kadha Thudarunnu among others.
Makal tells the story of a happy couple and their daughter. The guy who returns after working in Dubai finds it difficult to adjust to his new situation. His daughter especially finds him intrusive. Issues crop up. Eventually, all get sorted out and all is well that ends well.
Previous Weeks’ Recommendations
Gargi
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Director: Gautham Ramachandran
Cast: Sai Pallavi, Kaali Venkat, Aishwarya Lekshmi, R.S.Shivaji, Kalaimaamani Saravanan, Jayaprakash, Prathap, Sudha, Livingston, Kavithalaya Krishnan
Language: Tamil
Platform: SonyLiv
Release date: August 12, 2022.
Synopsis: When Gargi released in the theatres last month, it managed to wow the audience with its sincerity and simplicity. From then on, it was a movie that was eagerly awaited on OTT. It is a movie with the right amount of suspense, emotion and social message. It has the elements of a whodunit and courtroom drama and also tacitly makes important points on the class hierarchy in our society.
Sai Pallavi plays a school teacher. She belongs to a typical middle-class family, and her marriage is fixed. Around that time, her dad, who works as a security guard in an apartment nearby, fails to return home. She goes to inquire about his whereabouts, only to learn that the cops have arrested him, in connection with a rape case of a nine-year-old. How she unravels the secret is the story that is told effectively with empathy. The performances of Sai Pallavi and Kali Venkat as an advocate were highly impressive. Actor Aishwarya Lekshmi, who made her debut as a producer with the film, also plays an important role in it. This is a must-watch.
Malayankunju
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Director: Sajimon Prabhakar
Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Rajisha Vijayan, Johny Antony
Language: Malayalam
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Release date: August 11, 2022.
Synopsis: Malayankunju, directed by Sajimon Prabhakar, and scripted by filmmaker Mahesh Narayanan, is a survival drama. The movie, which released in the theatres in July, had an impressive run. As usual, Fahadh Faasil, who is riding a big wave of success in recent times, turned out to be stellar in his role as an easily irritated electronics technician. His patience and equipoise is tested by his neighbour’s newborn baby as it invokes some uncomfortable memories from his past. As it happens, the two are trapped under the rubble following a landslide.
Apart from the histrionics part, physically too it was demanding for Fahadh in playing this role as it involved getting cooped up in a small space. The story is about him being trapped underground. So they had to create a set where he had to crouch and crawl. Fahadh was injured the film shoot. It was that taxing. The film also marks the return of ace musician AR Rahman to Malayalam cinema after 30 years.
Thank You
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Director: Vikram K Kumar
Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Raashi Khanna, Malavika Nair, Avika Gor, Sai Sushanth Reddy
Language: Telugu
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Release date: August 11, 2022.
Synopsis: This romantic drama, directed by Vikram K Kumar and produced by Sri Venkateswara Creations, had a half-decent run at the box-office. It was not a big hit. But nor was it a flop. The story revolves around a successful businessman who is compelled to pause and reflect upon his life after a life-altering incident. Overall, it is a feel-good, coming-of-age story, the likes of which are not exactly new to Telugu films. Still the freshness that Naga Chaitanya and Raashi Khanna can infuse into their characters is the main attraction.
This is a happening time for Naga Chaitanya. His Bollywood debut vehicle, the much talked of Laal Singh Chaddha, releases in theatres today. And the young star is also getting ready to make his digital debut. Incidentally. He is working on a new web series, which is incidentally directed by the same Vikram Kumar. The series Dootha is likely to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Shabaash Mithu
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Director: Srijit Mukherji
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Vijay Raaz, Devadarshini, Brijendra Kala
Language: Hindi
Platform: VootSelect
Release date: August 12, 2022.
Synopsis: Taapsee Pannu is among the impressive actresses in the country today. But her choice of films in recent times have been a bit baffling. Many of them like Haseen Dillruba and Looop Lapeta were direct releases on streamers, and did not do much to enhance her reputation.
This movie, Shabaash Mithu, is a sports drama based on the life of Indian woman cricketer Mithali Raj. The movie, which released in theatres on July 15, traces Mithali Raj’s journey from her childhood to the struggles she faced as she took the Indian women’s cricket team to the ICC World Cup finals, four times. For this role of a cricketer, Taapsee made enormous preparations. But this is not her first sports-based movie. She had earlier done Rashmi Rocket, which was the agonising story of a champion athlete done in by ‘gender test’.
Cadaver
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Director: Anoop S Panicker
Cast: Amala Paul, Harish Uthaman, Riythvika, Athulya Ravi, Munishkanth
Language: Tamil
Platform: Disney Plus Hotstar
Release date: August 12, 2022.
Synopsis: Actress Amala Paul, who has improved a lot as an actress in recent times, has also become a producer in her own right through this movie, which is an investigative thriller. The film’s release was delayed due to the pandemic, and eventually it was decided to make it a direct premiere on OTT. Going by a handout by the film production house, “the film’s story revolves around a series of murders which disturb the peaceful life of people in a village. A forensic surgeon sets out to solve the case despite various challenges and many disapproving her qualification to pull it off”.
Cadaver is Amala Paul’s second outing this year. The Tamil anthology Victim which dropped on SonyLIV a few days ago was her first release of 2022.
Kaduva
Quick Details
Director: Shaji Kailas
Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Vivek Oberoi, Samyuktha Menon
Language: Malayalam
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Release date: August 4, 2022.
Synopsis: Shaji Kailas is a director who has made the mass masala movie segment his own in Malayalam. His movies carry all the ingredients that work at the box office. By no stretch of imagination they are high art. But they sure provide what a bulk of audience come looking for in a theatre: Entertainment. Kaduva unabashedly belongs to that genre, and was a big success when it released in cinema halls. The film also courted controversy and ran into legal issues with a resident of the Pala town in Kerala, Jose Kuruvinakkunel, alleging that the film was based on his life story and has several sequences in the movie defame him and his family. The issues were eventually sorted out. The film is set in the late 90s revolving around the life of a young high range rubber planter from Mundakayam and his rivalry with a high ranking Kerala police officer. The cinematic riffs are not new, but with adroit screenplay it is kept fresh. Vivek Oberoi provides apt counter-force to Prithviraj. All in all, movie made for the weekend.
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