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Did Paiyaa almost have a different leading actress? (Photo Credit – Instagram/Prime Video)

Director N. Lingusamy recently spilled the beans on the behind-the-scenes intrigue that resulted in Tamannaah taking over and altering the history of the film.

The Casting Change: Nayanthara’s Exit

Little does everyone know that Nayanthara was Lingusamy’s top pick to be Charulatha in Paiyaa. However, the production team was pressed by the then-prevailing economic recession to cut some costs.

With a string of box office failures taking a toll on Nayanthara’s value in the market, the team asked her to lower her price.

But hold on to that thought! When she turned down the offer and negotiations collapsed, the movie was left without a leading lady, prompting Lingusamy to take a game-changing call.

Trending Jude Anthany Joseph’s Tamil Debut? Sivakarthikeyan & Ags Entertainment Reportedly On Board!”

Was Anurag Kashyap’s Unreleased Bollywood Film Originally Written For Mohanlal?...

Nani’s Film Overseas Release ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Last year, Nani came to the silver screen with the crime-action drama Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, directed by Vivek Athreya. The film was originally released in India on August 29, 2024. Now, the film is set to release in Japan. According to 123 Telugu, the movie will hit Japanese theatres on February 14, 2025. An official announcement regarding the Japanese release has been made, and bookings are now open.

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is directed and written by Vivek Athreya and features an impressive cast. Nani stars as Surya, with Priyanka Arulmohan as Charulatha, S.J. Suryah as Daya, Murli Sharma as Koormanand, Ajay as Govardhan, Aditi Balan as Bhadra, Sai Kumar as Sankaram, Jhansi as Vasudha, Harshavardhan as Si Sudhakar, Ajay Ghosh as Narayana Prabha, and Subhalekha Sudhakar as Hc Kamalakar N.

The film’s cinematography is by Murali G, editing by Karthika Srinivas, music composed by Jakes Bejoy, and art direction by G.M. Sekhar.

Get ready to grab the popcorn and settle in for an electrifying ride, because Saripodhaa Sanivaaram has finally hit Netflix! Released on the platform in multiple languages on September 26, this movie was already buzzing from its theatrical run and has since skyrocketed to the #1 spot on Netflix India. Directed by Vivek Athreya, who previously collaborated with Nani on Ante Sundaraniki, this film promises thrills, drama, and heart—a perfect recipe for a blockbuster!

Table of Contents The Plot: A Sneak Peek (No Spoilers!) Why Saripodhaa Sanivaaram is a Must-Watch #1 on Netflix India: A Sure Sign of Success The Verdict? It’s a Thumbs-Up! The Plot: A Sneak Peek (No Spoilers!)

In Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, Nani takes on the intense role of Surya, a man marked by lifelong anger issues and seeking peace amidst chaos. Surya’s quiet life is shattered when he finds himself caught up in a fierce battle involving local rivalries,...

Get ready to grab the popcorn and settle in for an electrifying ride, because Saripodhaa Sanivaaram has finally hit Netflix! Released on the platform in multiple languages on September 26, this movie was already buzzing from its theatrical run and has since skyrocketed to the #1 spot on Netflix India. Directed by Vivek Athreya, who previously collaborated with Nani on Ante Sundaraniki, this film promises thrills, drama, and heart—a perfect recipe for a blockbuster!

The Plot: A Sneak Peek (No Spoilers!)

In Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, Nani takes on the intense role of Surya, a man marked by lifelong anger issues and seeking peace amidst chaos. Surya’s quiet life is shattered when he finds himself caught up in a fierce battle involving local rivalries, village politics, and an enigmatic vigilante who appears only on “Saturdays“. Adding to the excitement is S.J. Suryah as Daya, a ruthless cop with a deadly agenda. Together,...

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram, aka Surya’s Saturday, is the story of a man named Surya who was dealing with his anger issues and couldn’t stop himself from standing up against the tormentors who made the lives of people a living hell. His own family was tired of dealing with the consequences of his actions, and they wanted him to be in control of his emotions. So, let’s find out what happened in the film and whether Surya was able to overcome the challenges that came his way.

Spoiler Alert

Why did Surya only become violent on Saturday?

Surya’s parents were always worried about his anger issues, and they didn’t know how to make him understand that his actions would have grave consequences. Surya’s mother was suffering from a terminal illness, and she wanted to make her kids understand certain things about life before she was gone.

Review'Michael' is a cake of cliches, its utterly predictable denouement the cherry on top. Why do we need yet another ‘pan India’ film about gangsters that has nothing new to offer?Sundeep Kishan in Michael In an early scene in Michael, gangster boss Gurunath (Gautham Vasudev Menon) is reading Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. I found myself wondering what our mainstream cinema would have looked like if the man had never written the book. What would ninety percent of our films be about? Would all the gym bodies who find employment as gangsters in the film industry be in some other charming profession? Perhaps they would at least be in jobs that didn’t require them to scowl so much. But Puzo did write that book, and Francis Ford Coppola did make a film based on it, and here we are, 50 years later, still trying to recreate some version of it.

Despite receiving mixed reviews, “Master” eventually became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time (in place number 10 actually) and also highest-grossing post-pandemic Tamil film. Furthermore, it was praised for the revival of the theatrical business which has suffered heavy losses due to the pandemic, despite the fact that it was also the fastest Tamil film to be streamed on a digital platform, where the makers teamed up with Amazon Prime Video and premiered after 16 days of theatrical release.

on Amazon

The story actually begins with introducing the villain, starting in Nagercoil, 2002, where a 17-year-old boy named Bhavani witnesses his family get murdered by his father’s rivals. He is forced to take the blame and is incarcerated in a juvenile detention facility, where he is tortured mercilessly. As a consequence, he develops a ruthless and brash persona. Years later, Bhavani escapes from the facility and...

Short filmsFrom Dileesh Pothan's 'Midnight Run' to Parvathy Menon's 'Charulatha', these short films explore a wide range of themes.Neelima MenonSmall is beautiful and brevity the soul of wit, they say. Of course, it’s not always true. But here’s a list of what we think are some of the best short films made in Malayalam cinema in 2018 that capture that spirit with their tight plots, witty stories, engaging tales and masterful filmmaking - all in 30 minutes or less! These films belong to different genres and the themes explore situations that are slice of life and extraordinary circumstances. While some of the films feature well-known actors, others have new faces. All of them, though, manage to retain your interest to the end. Midnight Run Directed by Remya Raj, it is the only Malayalam short to be selected in the Indian Panorama section of the recently concluded International Film Festival of India.

MollywoodFrom assistant director to dance master, Anjali Menon's 'Koode' has several women behind the camera. Because they're good.CrisAnjali Menon is not fond of labels. She's not a "woman" director, she'd like to be known as a filmmaker doing good work. Keeping to her style, therefore, the fact that Koode, her upcoming film, has several women behind the camera and in front of it, has not been tom-tommed by the team. Rather, Anjali Menon has made a statement by not doing so. They're in her film because they're talented. Period. This makes the choice of these women even more tasteful. And all of them have the same words to say about their director. Anjali Menon is just "too good". ‘Nothing short of a visionary’ “Our director Anjali Menon is nothing short of a visionary,” says assistant director Chandrika Chandran, who started her film career assisting Mani Ratnam. Koode is the first Malayalam film she has worked on. “Despite having some initial worry that the language barrier may be too wide, I soon found out that much like music, film has no language. It is about moments, emotions, and choices - something we are all familiar with.” Chandrika Chandran And then Anjali made it easier. “She has a beautiful way of living her scenes rather than just visualising them. She walks into the rooms the characters will inhabit in the scenes, and fills them with real life experiences and tangible memories. She is an instinctive storyteller, and has a great way of personalising each and every character’s story, so that regardless of where in the world you grew up, you will always find a connection,” Chandrika tells us about her director. None of them could take their place for granted. “Though she made it a point to put together a crew that had quite a few women, she made it clear that no concessions were to be made specifically for us. We were each expected to earn our place.” ‘She wanted simple songs, not poetry’ Shruthi Namboodiri, who wrote the lyrics of Koode’s title song, was a last minute entry. “It is in April that Anjali happened to see my work – 'Baale' and 'Charulatha'. She liked Baale better and put a post on Facebook which was a huge recognition for me. I adore her a lot, and respect her,” Shruthi says. So, when she got a call from Anjali to write a song, she didn’t think for a moment before saying yes and that she will do it. However, she warned Anjali that she was not a professional lyricist. That’s all right, said the director, let’s see if it works. And it did. “Anjali was clear that she wanted a very simple song, not poetry. But words that even kids could sing along to," says Shruthi. This was a bit of a challenge for Shruthi who was known for her out-of-the-box vocabulary in songwriting: “But then it helped break the stereotype that I have been saddled with. People used to ask me why I can’t use simple words.” Shruthi wrote about 13 versions of the song. There were corrections made up to the point when the song was recorded. After the quick making of the song, during which she had not even seen Anjali in person, Shruthi says her respect and adoration for the filmmaker has only gone up. 'Casting wasn't easy' Perhaps half the magic is in that name. Anjali was already loved for Bangalore Days. And for Manjadikkuru, her first, though that didn’t enjoy the reach Bangalore Days did. For Pooja Pradeep, working with Anjali had been a dream. It is her first work for a film, partly doing the casting, and a little bit of branding too. It was not easy hunting for new faces, especially the younger versions of the leading trio – Prithviraj, Nazriya and Parvathy. But they managed to pull it off. Subin – Prithvi’s younger version – especially looks a lot like the star. “She had told us how the characters should be, their personality,” Pooja says. 'It was like being at home' Then there is Mitta Antony, the make-up artist who had gone through a lot of struggle in the film industry. Her opportunities were denied by people she considered to be mentors. The recognition for a woman make-up artist did not come easy. She could not get a membership with Fefka because women make-up artistes were not recognised, even after the 2014 Supreme Court order lifting this ‘ban’. Mitta Antony With a lot of trouble, Mitta had secured a membership from the Ccmaa (Cine Costume And Make Up Artist Association), that would make her eligible to work anywhere in India. But even that didn’t help. Until slowly, the industry itself began to see changes, and support came from all corners. Sajitha Madathil spoke of Mitta to Anjali. And one day Anjali called her. “She has been so supportive. Not just her, the producer Renjith, actors Nazriya, Parvathy, everyone. It is like a dream project for me. It was like being at home,” Mitta says. Among all the departments that Anjali pulled women in for, this must have been the rarest. Choreography, costumes and more But it doesn’t stop there. For costumes and choreography, Anjali remembered the women she worked with in Bangalore Days. Brinda Master, who has been in the industry for 30 years and who choreographed the famous ‘Mangalyam’ song in Bangalore Days, was happy to be on Anjali’s sets again. Brinda Master “It was all misty in Ooty and I could not see anything,” she laughs. “But I have to work as soon as I reach. That’s my way. It was a college where the dance song (Paranne) was shot. I love the way Anjali presents everything and I loved Littil’s camera work,” Brinda says. She’s talking about Littil Swayamp who did the cinematography. Nazriya would fill the whole place with energy as soon as she came. And the singers including Siddharth Menon who appeared for the song were just ‘fantastic’, says Brinda. She has also worked on another song, a slower one, which begins slow and ends in a fight. “There was no fight, Anjali and I were the fight masters.” The two make a great team. She remembers at the end of the Mangalyam song shooting, the whole unit had danced together, including Anjali and Brinda. Anjali also remembered to bring on board Pampa Biswas from Bengal, who had worked with her for Bangalore Days. For costume design. “Working with Anjali is a collaborative process. She partners you in every way. You can throw around ideas. It is a democratic process,” Pampa says. Pampa Biswas and Akhila Menon Koode costumes were not easy. They were shooting in Ooty and Anjali wanted her actors to be very comfortable. “She did not want the clothes to stand out. I believe in that too, that the story is always important. Clothes and everything else is secondary.” So Pampa went for feathers and winter wear. Limiting, but working with layers always adds a kind of touch, she says. Assisting her was Akhila Menon from Mumbai. Akhila Menon Set designers were again two women – Shrimathy Karthikeyan and Anjali Mandapaka. Shrimathy, an architect, turned to set design two years ago. Koode is her second film. “Both the director and the production designer made it comfortable to work. Anjali gives out this positive vibe and we were all like a family living in this big house,” Shrimathy says. Shrimathy Karthikeyan And finally, Smitha Nambiar did the corporate communications and Shital Dedhia the accounts for Anjali. Mini Sarma from Dubai was the line producer. It would be a whole different story to write about the women in front of the camera, Anjali’s actors, beginning from three-year-old Meera who plays Nazriya’s younger version to Nilambur Aysha, one of the senior-most artistes in the industry. But they would be seen and appreciated this week when Koode comes to the theatres. Those behind the camera, whose faces we do not see but whose work makes the movie what it is, should just not be forgotten. Read: The women of 'Kaala': How Pa Ranjith's film breaks gender moulds in Tamil cinema...