Janani K

What does an eight-year-old want? His parents, who enroll him in a prestigious elite school, give him access to everything. He has access to a computer, Zomato/Swiggy, expensive waveboards, all materialistic things, and has enrolled him in all classes and extracurricular activities. Yet, the eight-year-old is not happy and craving something that is beyond his and his parents’ understanding. What more can the parents do? This is what Ram’s ‘Paranthu Po’ is all about. Gokul (Mirchi Shiva) and Glory (Grace Antony) lead a hustling life, bound by countless EMIs and their dream of giving ‘everything’ to their fussy son, Anbu (Mithul). Gokul is a man who is struggling to set up a shop, while Glory owns a saree shop to sustain their life. When they are at work, Anbu, who is on his half-yearly holiday, is locked up inside his home and forced to take part in the classes his parents have enrolled him in.

When Indian cinema is dominated by action dramas with a newfound love for extreme violence and gore, there’s always something soothing about heartwarming dramas. Be it a simple love story or a family drama or a comedy drama, they remind you of the good old times. Director Shanmuga Priyan’s ‘Love Marriage’, a remake of the Telugu film, ‘Ashoka Vanmulo Arjuna Kalyanam’, has all the elements to be that cutesy film that will leave a smile on your face. Did it succeed in its mission? Let’s find out! Ramachandran (Vikram Prabhu) is a 33-year-old bachelor who is waiting to get married. A thorough gentleman, the only progressive man in a family of regressive people, goes through arranged marriage. He, along with his family and extended family, travels to a different town to meet a potential bride, which is followed by his engagement. One meeting is all it takes for Ram to get engaged to Ambika (Sushmitha Bhat) old-school style.

Music director-turned-actor Vijay Antony has a knack for picking interesting stories. However, his choices in the last few years have been questionable. The actor now returns with ‘Maargan’, a crime thriller about a serial killer. Will ‘Maargan’ provide a much-needed respite to Vijay Antony from a string of underwhelming films? Let’s find out! Dhruv (Vijay Antony), ADGP in Mumbai, is grieving the loss of his daughter, who was murdered by a serial killer. He is notified of another similar murder in Chennai. One connection between both cases is that the killer seems to have injected a drug which blackens one’s body. Dhruv expresses interest in transferring to Chennai to investigate the murder. However, his superiors don’t let him as he is recovering from the loss of his daughter. His left side is blackened after he gets injected with the drug while trying to nab the killer.

Tamil director Nelson Venkatesan has been in the industry since 2016. Nearly a decade in Kollywood, the filmmaker is just three films old, and all three films have made noise for their themes and filmmaking style. After the underrated ‘Farhana, he returns with his fourth offering, ‘DNA’, starring Atharvaa and Nimisha Sajayan. Anand (Atharvaa) is a brooding alcoholic drifter who is struggling to come to terms with life after a breakup. Divya (Nimisha Sajayan) is a naive woman diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, who often gets branded as paithyam (a derogatory Tamil term for someone with mental illness). One good-for-nothing man deserves a woman with a condition – this is what both families decide as they come together for a marriage of convenience. But, Anand and Divya navigate through this and find love in each other. He is a man who makes life easier for Divya, while she is a woman who lights up his life. When they get pregnant and are all set to step into their lives as new parents, tragedy strikes - Divya finds out that the infant handed over to her is not her child. Anand, who initially doubts Divya, eventually believes her and takes the police’s help to find their missing child.

Telugu filmmaker Sekhar Kammula’s reputation speaks for itself. With films like ‘Anand’, ‘Godavari’, and ‘Fidaa’, among others, his films are rooted yet progressive at the same time. His films, even after years, make you fall in love with it all over again. His latest offering, ‘Kuberaa’, with a power-packed cast including Dhanush, Nagarjuna, Jim Sarbh and Rashmika Mandanna, is a film that touches upon various topics including power, money, betrayal, humanity and justice. Has he managed to strike gold again? Let’s find out! Neeraj Mitra (Jim Sarbh) is a powerful and ruthless businessman who discovers oil reserves that could support India for the next 15 years. He strikes a deal with the ruling government that would benefit both parties in the long run. To help execute his plan, Neeraj approaches Deepak (Nagarjuna), an honest CBI officer who is in prison due to a false case. Although Deepak initially refuses, he eventually joins forces with Neeraj and his father after much prodding.

“You saved me from death. From now on, you and me are one,” says Kamal Haasan in one of the most strikingly shot scenes from Mani Ratnam’s ‘Thug Life’. The dialogue, albeit simple, has a profound touch to it. As the story progresses, you realise he meant what he said. Kamal Haasan’s Rangaraya Sakthivel and Silambarasan’s Amar are indeed one. But, what causes a rift between them in this world of thugs? Mani Ratnam’s ‘Thug Life’ aims to present a full-blown gangster drama rooted in this very question. Rangaraya Sakthivel (Kamal Haasan) is a gangster in New Delhi and has a bunch of trusted aides, all recruited and raised by Manikkam (Nasser). An encounter leads to the death of a local newspaper vendor. Sakthivel, who is deeply disturbed to see the newspaper vendor’s son, Amar, takes him and raises him as his own son (Silambarasan) along with his wife Jeeva (Abhirami).

What do ‘Jigarthanda Double X’, ‘Viduthalai 2’, and ‘Narivetta’ have in common? It has protagonists who fall victim to systemic oppression - a hero who represents a system, later realises the truth, who represents the right, and who fights for what’s right, even if it means an end to one’s life. Varghese Peter (Tovino Thomas) is a man, much like his father. The two men are not interested in doing simple jobs to pass the day. They aim high, which is a testament to their potential. Varghese lives with his mother after his father took his life. He is awaiting calls for two jobs – a village assistant and a police constable. Varghese, who doesn’t think twice about borrowing money from the women in his life, is uninterested in both jobs.

Vijay Sethupathi and director Arumugakumar’s debut collaboration ‘Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren’ polarised audiences completely - viewers either loved its zany approach or absolutely despised it. There’s no middle ground. When the duo reunited for ‘Ace’, expectations were quite so-so. The question remained: Could they craft a film with universal appeal this time around? Let’s find out! Bold Kannan (Vijay Sethupathi) is an enigmatic figure desperate to shed his criminal past and start a new life. His only link to his former life is his last phone call to imprisoned associates. Relocating to Malaysia, he befriends Arivu (Yogi Babu), a rag picker who masquerades as a businessman to impress Kalpana (Divya Pillai), a hotel owner.