Manjumel Boys next with Thalapathy Producer / Shane- Shanthanu in Balti / Censors to re- view Vetrimaan film

 After Manjumel Boys, Director Chidambaram is set to direct a film for KVN Productions. The [roduction company is currently producing Thalapathy’s swan song Jana Nayagan. The script is by Jithu Madhavan whose Romancham was a big hit and his Avesham with Fahadh a blockbuster. In fact Avesham did very well in Tamil Nadu too. Jithu had scripted a film for Mohanlal but it was shelved and he is in talks with Suriya for a film to direct.

Shane Nigam after Madraskarran his Tamil Debut is acting in his next film Balti which isa Tamil- Malayalam film. He has Shanthanu Bhagyaraj for company. Balti is produced by Santosh T Kuruvilla and Binu Alexander George under the banner of STK Frames, marks the directorial debut of Unni Shivalingam. Balti is set to release during Onam. The film revolves around the lives of four young kabaddi players and has been shot across Coimbatore, Palakkad, and Pollachi. To depict realistic kabaddi portions, Shane and Tamil actor Shanthanu trained for a month with Kerala’s kabaddi coach Ramesh Velayudhan, along with guidance from national players and gymnastics coaches. Many real athletes will also appear in the film. The cast also includes names like Vishnu Prasad and Sanjay Lal Oad. Preethi Asrani is in the cast. A noteworthy addition to the project is its yet-to-be-revealed music composer, a familiar name reportedly making their Malayalam debut. With Shane’s track record of choosing musically rich projects, expectations are high for a soundtrack that matches the film’s pulse. Behind the camera, Alex J Pulickal handles cinematography, bringing his eye for kinetic action (RDX, Jana Gana Mana) to the court, while editor Shivkumar V Panicker — best known for shaping fast-paced Bollywood fare like Uri and Kill — takes the reins in the edit room.

The CBFC’s decision to reassess Manushi was conveyed during court proceedings on June 11, as reported by The Hindu. The rewatch aims to evaluate the film’s contentious elements, which had led to its earlier rejection.

At the heart of Manushi lies a politically charged narrative: the story of a woman falsely accused of terrorism, with the film exploring themes of state violence and custodial brutality. These depictions reportedly triggered concerns from the CBFC, who initially felt the film painted the state government in a negative light and could potentially mislead audiences on matters related to communist ideology.

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has informed the Madras High Court that it will conduct a fresh screening of Manushi, the controversial Tamil film directed by Gopi Nainar and produced by acclaimed filmmaker Vetri Maaran. The film, starring Andrea Jeremiah with music composed by Ilaiyaraaja, had its certification previously denied, prompting a legal challenge from the makers. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 17.

Bhoothakaalam Malayalam Movie review: A satisfying watch

 

Bhoothalakalam on Sony Liv is a very satisfying watch, It will not only engage the ordinary movie goer but also the arty film critics. A fine balance. The film will engage those who watch a horror film with the stance- See if you ca scare me and that oh no not another spooky tale. For those who take to the psychological dimension of the two main characters in the film, the treatment will look real and justified.

 A widowed mother and her unemployed son ,  who have mental issues are battling a personal issue in their life. After the death of aged mother. the mother who has not much communication with her son  and was under treatment for depression slips back to an even bad state. The son battles the pain of being unemployed and feels that his future was spoilt as his mother for her selfish reasons. Relatives see the son as an alcoholic and drug addict. 

As we get braced for a son- mother playout, scene shifts to unnatural happenings within the home. The son at first thinks it to something that he alone is experiencing and later towards the climax the presence of a third force within the house  also becomes evident to the mother.

The setting of the story in an ordinary run down middle class house is the first victory  to lure your mind to the ongoing happening, secondly there is no shrieks or BGM to scare you and this is a big letdown to those who wait to hoot at this place, thirdly camerawork. It moves slowly and calculatedly Fourth is the actors. Shane Nigam at first is a repeat of himself from the earlier movies and it is Revathi who carries the show forward. In the second half , Shane turns his body language, eyes and expressions into a boy scared for what he is seeing . A mind blowing performance.

The small characters too have an important link in the story plot. As a rationalist you can interpret the film as the hallucinations of two mentally disturbed people or as weak minded persons being victims of a past that lingers on in the house. Why the romantic angle when it is left incomplete and a song to boot  ?, Hats off to Anwar Rasheed.

Credit:

Teresa Rani and Sunila Habeeb -Producers
Banner	Plan T Films and Shane Nigam Films
Distributor	A&A Release
Story	Rahul Sadasivan
Written by	Rahul Sadasivan
Screenplay	Rahul Sadasivan & Sreekumar Shreyas
Co Producer
DOP	Shehnad Jalal
Editor	Shafique Mohamed Ali
Music Director	Shane Nigam
Lyrics	Shane Nigam
Stunts
BGM	Gopi Sunder
Executive Producer	A R Ansar
Associate Director
Production Controller	Binu Murali
Art
Makeup	Ronex Xavier
Costumes	Sameera Saneesh
Choreography
Sound Designer	Vicky, Kishan (Sapthaa)
PRO
Stills	Shaheen Thaha
Publicity Design	Aesthetic Kunjamma
Title Design
Production Designer	Manu Jagadh
Production Executive	Riyas Pattambi
Finance Controller