Janani K

Director Muhammed Musthafa made his debut in the critically acclaimed Malayalam film, Kappela. The film, which is streaming on Netflix, stood out in terms of filmmaking and social message. After four years, he is now back with an action entertainer, Mura, which features Suraj Venjaramoodu and All We Can Imagine As Light-fame, Hridhu Haroon. Let’s see how the film has turned out. Local gangster Ani (Suraj Venjaramoodu) is the right hand of tough businesswoman Rema (Maala Parvathi), who entrusts him with many illegal activities. Ani, who is in touch with many rowdy gangs in the locality, reaches out to Anandhu (Hridhu Haroon) and Saji’s gang about a high-profile robbery. Anandhu, Saji, Manu and Manaf are young guns who grew up together, and know how to escape a crime scene.

Films with a military background, most times, evoke strong feelings in one’s heart. Not just that, it’s a constant reminder that the army men are toiling in difficult terrain just to keep everyone safe. And when Amaran, a biopic on the life of Major Mukund Varadarajan, was announced, it piqued everyone’s interest. The expectations rose sky-high when Sivakarthikeyan, who has so far done boy-next-door roles, was roped in to headline the film. For the unversed, Amaran is an adaptation of the book series, India’s Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh. Mukund Varadarajan (Sivakarthikeyan) has his goals set right from fifth standard. A field trip to the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai sowed the seeds of joining the military in him. Years later, while pursuing his graduation at Madras Christian College, he meets his ladylove Indhu Rebecca Varghese (Sai Pallavi). They fall head over heels in love with each other. For Indhu, she has to love Mukund and his passion as well.

Fortune favours the brave – this is a slogan that aptly encapsulates what Lucky Baskhar is. Director Venky Atluri’s latest outing, far different from his previous offerings, is this year’s Diwali gift to the audience. Lucky Baskhar is a film about how a middle-class man, who aims for the sky, gets derailed due to greed, but is clever enough to pull him out of the mess. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Baskhar (Dulquer Salmaan) is a cashier in Magadha Bank. He is the sole breadwinner of his family, which consists of his wife Sumathi (Meenakshi Chaudhary), son Karthik (Rithvik), his ailing dad, brother and sister. They’re on the edge of poverty and debts strangle him. At that time, Anthony (Ramki), a man who wants a loan from Baskhar’s bank, comes up with an offer that he can’t refuse due to his familial circumstances.

Journalist-turned-director TJ Gnanavel proved his mettle with a hard-hitting second film, Jai Bhim, starring Suriya, Manikandan and Lijomol Jose. In Jai Bhim, despite having Suriya onboard, he played more of a supporting role to brilliant Manikandan and Lijomol Jose. His third film, Vettaiyan, features Rajinikanth, but the director promises to have a solid story that champions Thalaivar. Will Gnanavel be able to strike a balance? Let’s find out! Athiyan (Rajinikanth), Superintendent of Police, is all about successfully carrying out encounters against criminals. He believes that killing a person is justice for those who were wronged and is not willing to wait for the law to take its course. Sathyadev (Amitabh Bachchan), a retired judge, bats against extrajudicial killings. A police case and a major misjudgement by Athiyan bring him face-to-face with Sathyadev.

How does one lead a life when you forget your routine and even the mere existence of your loved ones? Bougainvillea, directed by Amal Neerad, is a film that revolves around a couple, Royce (Kunchacko Boban) and Reethu (Jyothirmayi), that gives you an insight into a pair that is trying to overcome this kind of an unusual situation. In the initial few seconds, we see Royce and Reethu meet with a nasty accident. The after-effect of the accident: Reethu suffers from Anterograde and Retrograde amnesia. Reethu’s life is defined by Royce’s ideas. Her day-to-day routine and details about her family are written in a diary. And house help Rema (Srinda) oversees her at home when Royce, a doctor, is at the hospital. One day, David Koshy (Fahadh Faasil) turns up at Reethu’s home and asks her about the whereabouts of a missing girl. His interrogation hits a roadblock because of Reethu’s memory. But, there’s more than what meets the eye.

Jr NTR, fondly called the ‘Man of the Masses’ by his fans, is back as a solo lead after six years, choosing director Koratala Siva’s Devara (now a two-part film) for his big moment. Devara explores the theme of fear and its impact on an entire generation. Fear is the strongest emotion in Devara, but how is this translated into a cohesive script? Let’s find out! Set in 1996, the story follows a police officer (Ajay), who along with his team are on the hunt for criminals, Daya and Yethi. Their investigation leads them to Singappa (Prakash Raj), who lives in Errasamudram (Red Sea) and recounts the story of Devara (NTR) and Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan). Cut to the 1970s, Devara is a righteous man, who thinks twice before taking a life, while Bhaira, on the other hand, is brutal and kills without hesitation.

In the world of Indian web series, the Hindi show Panchayat managed to earn one of the top spots. This year, the third season of Panchayat was released and opened to positive reviews. Now, Panchayat has come to Tamil as Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam. Directed by Naga, the show is a light-hearted entertainer, with simplicity as its greatest asset. Siddharth (Abishek Kumar) is a city-bred youngster who has been posted as the panchayat secretary in Tirunelveli’s Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam. The village still lives in the past with no tinge of modernism or westernisation. Meenakshi Devi (Devadarshini) is the panchayat’s chairperson. But, for some reason, she is stuck to doing household chores while her husband, Meenakshi Sundaram, carries out the chairperson’s responsibilities.

Ajayante Randam Moshanam aka ARM features Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas in triple roles. Directed by Jithin Laal and written by Sujith Nambiar, the film generated significant interest through its posters and trailer. But has ARM lived up to everyone’s expectations? Let’s find out! The story begins with Kunji Kelu (Tovino Thomas), an exceptional warrior, whois granted the opportunity to request for a special gift from the king. He asks for a deity crafted from a unique rock that fell from a meteorite and struck their village, Haripuram. The story then shifts to Maniyan (Tovino Thomas), a clever thief who is accused of stealing the deity.