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Weekend Watch: Velaikkaran, Tiger Zinda Hai, Sakka Podu Podu Raja, Masterpiece & Others

The weekend is almost here, and so are the films that cinema-goers have been waiting for almost a year. From the return of the spy-couple to Sivakarthikeyan’s first ever serious role, here’s a look at the releases this week:

Velaikkaran (Tamil)

In Velaikkaran, actor Sivakarthikeyan sheds his Remo image to take on the greedy CEOs and probably lead the Tamil workers to a revolution. Velaikkaran also marks the Tamil debut of Fahadh Faasil. Cinematography for the film is by Ramji, and music by Anirudh Ravichander. Actors Rohini, Vijay Vasanth, Sneha – all have pivotal roles in this film. After Aramm, Nayanthara will be seen in this movie.

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In an interview with Silverscreen, Sivakarthikeyan said that with Velaikkaran, he just wants to show that he is all about entertaining people, irrespective of the medium.

“My first love is entertaining people, whatever the medium. Nothing else really matters. Yes, there’s a high when you read a good script; you know that you will be made to put in more than your best. Velaikkaran was that kind of film for me.”

Sakka Podu Podu Raja (Tamil)

Santhanam, who started off as a comedian having made his debut in STR’s Manmadhan, has now ventured towards acting as the lead in films, taking up roles that are less comic and more heroic.

The film is directed by Sethuraman and is produced by VTV Ganesh. The film’s lead heroine is Vaibhavi Shandilya, and also stars Vivek, Narayan Lucky, Robo Sankar, Sampath Raja, and several others. Music is composed by actor STR, who gave a very dramatic speech at the audio launch of the film early this month.

Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi)

Ali Abbas Zaffar’s sequel of Ek Tha Tiger (2012) – Tiger Zinda Hai – features a rugged Salman Khan who is often described as an indestructible machine. His accomplice and lady love, Zoya (played by Katrina Kaif), a Pakistani spy, is seen as someone equally formidable.

The previous film ended with Tiger being assumed dead even though he had been spotted in a number of countries from time to time. The two actors are reprising their roles as the formidable spy couple in a mission to save 25 Indian nurses trapped in Iraq.

The film also stars Angad Bedi, Paresh Rawal, and Kannada actor Sudeep. Given that it’s being billed as action film, there is a hint of romance also seen with Katrina and Salman sashaying in a ballroom while there’s chaos and mayhem around.

Vimaanam (Malayalam)

Vimaanam, that literally translates to aeroplane, is a drama featuring Prithviraj Sukumaran who features in two time periods. The film is reportedly based on the life of Saji Thomas, a deaf and mute who shot to fame by building a lightweight aircraft without the backing of the government or the private sector. Saji built the two-seater ultra-light aircraft called Saji X Air-S with the parts of vehicles and recycled materials at a cost of Rs 14 lakh.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Prithviraj reportedly took basic lessons in flying aircraft from SKJ Nair in the latter’s flying yard.

The film, directed by Pradeep M Nair, also stars Durga Krishna, Alencier, Lena, and Sudheer Karamana. The film has music by Gopi Sunder.

Masterpiece (Malayalam)

Directed by Ajai Vasudev, Masterpiece is an action thriller starring a suave Mammootty, Unni Mukundan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Poonam Bajwa, Maqbool Salmaan, Gokul Suresh, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Santhosh Pandit, Anjali Nair, and Mahima Nambiar.

Mammootty plays a strict college professor who doesn’t mollycoddle his students, a rough and tough character with a short temper. The characterisation is very much on the lines of the larger-than-life roles. Varalaxmi plays an IPS officer Bhavani Durga and Poonam Bajwa a lecturer.

The film has music by Deepak Dev.

Aadu 2 (Malayalam)

A comedy film directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas, Aadu 2 is a sequel to the 2015 film Aadu. The film stars Jayasurya, Sunny Wayne, Vijay Babu, Sajju Kurup, Vineeth Mohan, and others. Vijay Banu has produced this film under his banner Friday Film House.

Mayaanadhi (Malayalam)

Starring Tovino Thomas and Aishwarya Lekshmi, Mayaanadhi is directed by Aashiq Abu and co-written by Syam Pushkaran and Dileesh Nair. A love story, the film was based on an idea by Amal Neerad which Abu, Pushkaran, and Nair then adapted. In an interview with Silverscreen, Pushkaran adds more about the film:

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

“It has been long since we saw a memorable love story in Malayalam. We wanted to make a romantic drama which features a couple with great chemistry. I am curious to see how this film would be received. This story has a mystic touch. We were thrilled when this title came into the picture. It is a beautiful word.”

The film also stars Harish Uthaman, Maya Rajesh, Leona Shahir, Soubin Shahir, and others. Music is by Rex Vijayan.

Aana Alaralodaral (Malayalam)

Starring Vineeth Sreenivasan, Aana Alaralodaral is directed by Dileep Menon. The film also features Anu Sithara, Vijayaraghavan, Hareesh Perumanna, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Mamukoyaa, Visakh Nair, Dharmajan, Thesni Khan, and others.

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