News

The second edition of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival (Ciff) has unveiled its CinéV-chd Market lineup featuring 22 diverse projects from established and emerging filmmakers, with more than half being women-oriented ventures.

The curated selection, which will run alongside the festival from March 20-23, in Chandigarh, spotlights creative forces who have made significant contributions to Indian cinema, spanning languages including Chinese, English, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Urdu, Gujarati, Telugu, Bengali, and Kannada.

“Sister Midnight” actor Radhika Apte steps into the director’s chair for “Koyta” (Sickle), produced by acclaimed filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane (“Black Warrant”). The Hindi/Marathi action-fantasy follows a young migrant sugarcane cutter who gains superpowers after a forced medical procedure and uses them to free her family from debt.

Veteran director Hansal Mehta, known for “Shahid” and “Scam 1992,” produces “Hanere De Panchi” (Birds in the Dark), a drama in the Punjabi, Urdu and Kashmiri languages, from emerging director Shashank Walia,...

Gaganachari Ott release: Here’s where you should watch it (Photo Credit – Instagram)

If you’re a fan of mockumentary shows like Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, or The Office, there’s exciting news for you in Malayalam cinema. A fresh addition to the genre, though with a unique twist, has just arrived. Gaganachari, a mockumentary with a sci-fi comedy core, has been quietly released on Ott.

Cast and Crew

Arun Chandu directs Gaganachari, and Chandu and Siva Sai co-write the screenplay. The film stars Kerala’s transport minister, Ganesh Kumar, Gokul Suresh, Aju Varghese, Anarkali Marikar, and John Kaippallil. Sankar Sharma provides the music, while Surjith S Pai handles the cinematography. Editing is by Ceejay Achu and Aravind Manmadhan, with Vineesh Nakulan as the visual effects supervisor. Produced by Vinayaka Ajith and Krishand as executive producer, the film is a joint production of Ajith Vinayaka Films and Krishand Films.

2023 has been a mixed bag of a year for Indian cinema. There were some great highs, followed by unexpected lows. There have been some interesting blockbusters that surprised the audience, while many went below the radar. This is, however, a list of films we thoroughly loved and enjoyed. There are films in several languages that we believe could benefit those who love watching Indian mainstream and regional films.

Pathaan (Hindi)

Directed by Siddharth Anand, Pathaan marked the return of the blockbuster machine Shah Rukh Khan, with people flocking to the theater to watch his larger-than-life persona on screen. Shah Rukh Khan delivered one of the biggest hits of the year, and 2023 could not have received a better start. Despite its questionable storytelling and direction, the movie primarily worked for its star-powered cast and presented a villain that was not a caricature like the stereotypical negative characters we watch in other commercial films.

MollywoodWith Arun Chandu’s upcoming science fiction mockumentary ‘Gaganachari’ promising madcap fun, here are five Malayalam sci-fi films from recent years that deserve a watch.Rahul Rajagopal as Joy in AavasavyuhamIt’s the year 2043, and three “dystopian morons” in post-apocalyptic Kerala are out on the hunt for “ferocious” aliens. The vibrantly hued trailer of Arun Chandu’s upcoming mockumentary Gaganachari promises madcap fun, and an intriguingly novel approach to the genre of science fiction. Anarkali Marikar plays an extraterrestrial being in this experimental flick, which also stars Gokul Suresh, Ganesh Kumar, and Aju Varghese in quirky lead roles. What’s more, the film has already been receiving rave reviews during its run in the festival circuits. Malayalam cinema so far has only rarely experimented with science fiction, especially owing to budgetary and technological constraints. But things have gradually been changing over the past decade or so, with the industry delivering...

In any crime noir movie, to keep the audience hooked till the end, the writers will have to stick to keeping the narrative engaging and create enough mystery about the lead and other supporting characters. The dark side of a profession, the dirty work that needs to be done, and the search for the ultimate truth. This and more makes for a good noir. “Purusha Pretham,” a satirical crime noir directed by Krishand, takes the audience through the dark alleys of police procedures when it comes to unclaimed bodies found by the cops and how they handle or mishandle such cases Will the police force make sure to not topple the crucial case in hand?

Spoilers Ahead

About Super Sebastian

Si Super Sebastian has always been known for tackling rowdies and goons in the most action-hero manner. He retells the tales of his heroism to those who idolize him. Super...

ReviewThe story flows in a very straight path, without unexpected turns or strange abstractions that you might expect from someone who made a surrealistic film like ‘Aavasavyuham’.There is something really sad about Sebastian. You almost miss it when you first come to know of him, this policeman who tells tall tales to his coterie, a bunch of subordinates who act like teenage fans. But that’s his fame. Children in the neighbourhood and young people joining the police force know him as Super Sebastian. What a buildup for this oddly interesting character, leading the story of Purusha Pretham, a film made by Krishand who directed the multiple-award winning Aavasayuham last year. Prasanth Alexander, an actor obviously underutilised for years, transforms into Sebastian, exhibiting an unlikeable demeanour. Darshana Rajendran’s character, Susanna, describes him as rude and annoying. Yet, he is not exactly rude as far as stereotypical police behaviour goes.

MollywoodThe film revolves around a policeman, played by Prasanth Alexander, and the mystery of a missing corpse.What begins like a ghost story soon turns into a heady mix of dark humour and drama in the trailer of Purusha Pretham (Male Ghost), an upcoming Malayalam film. It is directed by Krishand, who made the critically acclaimed Aavasavyuham, which won the Kerala state award for best film and screenplay in 2021. Darshana Rajendran, Prasanth Alexander, and Devaki Rajendran play the lead roles in Purusha Pretham. The film will release on the Ott platform SonyLIV on March 24. The trailer, which came out on Thursday, March 16, shows a police team led by Prasanth and Jagadish investigating a crime. Darshana walks into the station to talk about a dead body in a river and then a fast song begins to play, during which several characters pass by, and the character Sebastian (Prasanth) is described as peculiar.

MollywoodMalayalam cinema showcased some great films and exceptional performances this year. Here is Tnm’s pick of the best Malayalam movies of 2022.CrisYear 2022 was in some ways a comeback year for new films, which could once again be released in theatres after the rules of physical distancing brought in by the Covid-19 pandemic faded away. The piled-up movies of previous years were released one by one, and new ones were made. Original stories were told and actors took on unconventional roles. Here is Tnm’s pick of the best Malayalam movies of the year. Bhoothakaalam -- Bhoothakaalam was not a typical horror film although it could send shivers down your spine for several long minutes. But at its centre is the theme of a mother-son relationship going through a rough patch. The horrors of the house in fact appear to help bring them together. Revathy, after a long time, had...

InterviewIn an interview with Tnm, the award-winning filmmaker speaks on all things cinema, ecocriticism in film, the pop culture predecessors that inspired 'Aavasavyuham', possibility of an 'Aavasavyuham 2', and more.Lakshmi PriyaFilmmaker Krishand Rk*Spoiler alert* It’s just his second feature film and Krishand Rk already has two Kerala State Film Awards in his kitty. His critically acclaimed Aavasavyuham: The Arbit Documentation of an Amphibian Hunt, which has also become quite the audience favourite ever since its recent release on SonyLIV, had won the state award for best film as well as for best original screenplay. But Krishand has little time to ride the high wave. He is currently in the process of wrapping up a web series called Kraya Vikraya Prakriya: People in Transaction, which he had begun shooting during the Covid-19 lockdown, while simultaneously working on his next feature film. There is no dearth of work as of now,...

ReviewThis Kerala state award winner seamlessly intertwines the lives of people living in an ecologically fragile region with the surreal existence of a man sharing an uncanny relationship with nature.Lakshmi PriyaRahul Rajagopal as Joy in AvasavyuhamAs director Krishand Rk puts it, Avasavyuham: The Arbit Documentation of an Amphibian Hunt, which recently won the 52nd Kerala State Film Award for Best Film, is a “fantastic ecological superhero action thriller mockumentary”. If you are confused by the anarchy of genre mashup, I am going to presume you haven’t watched the film yet. Instead, if you indeed did watch it, as it was travelling around festival circuits worldwide or more recently when it was released on the Ott platform SonyLIV, you probably know exactly what Krishand is talking about. Set primarily against the backdrop of the picturesque and ecologically fragile region of Puthuvype in Kochi, Avasavyuham follows the story of Joy...

Film awards‘Aavasavyuham’, which tells the story of an environmental disaster, won the best film award, while Dileesh Pothan won best director for ‘Joji’. ‘Minnal Murali’, ‘Churuli’ and ‘Hridayam’ have also won multiple awards.Tnm StaffBiju Menon, Revathi and Joju GeorgeHushing stereotypes, middle-aged mothers and elderly fathers prove that they can lead great stories in films and walk quietly away with the accolades. Revathi, who has contributed many great characters to Malayalam cinema, has won the Best Actor (Female) award at the 52nd Kerala State Film Awards for playing a mother character so strikingly well in the horror flick Bhoothakaalam. Biju Menon, a 50 something actor who played a mysterious man in his 70s — a seemingly harmless doting father — in Aarkariyam has won the Best Actor (Male) award, along with Joju George, an actor who has been consistently delivering meticulous performances. This time, Joju has bagged the award for four different...