Made in Rs 50 lakh, this web series has no big star, still has IMDb rating of 9.2, beats Sacred Games, Mirzpaur, Family Man in...
Here we are talking about 2021's web show Aspirants, which was released on TVF's YouTube channel. The viewers have applauded Aspirants for its honest storytelling and strong performances given by Naveen Kasturia, Namita Dubey, Sunny Hinduja, Abhilash Thapliyal and Shivankit Singh Parihar. The show's creators, Arunabh Kumar and Shreyansh Pandey, along with director Apoorv Singh Karki, have been praised for crafting a narrative that balances entertainment with insightful commentary on societal pressures and personal growth. Best Web-Series Of 2021…
This five-episode series follows three friends, Abhilash, Guri, and SK, as they face the trials of studying for UPSC examinations in Old Rajinder Nagar, Delhi. It delves into their personal and academic challenges, showing their hopes and dreams while also tackling the difficulties of their personal life. The characters' evolution, marked by moments of triumph and despair, mirrors the experiences of millions of individuals striving for success in competitive environments to set accomplished benchmarks for themselves. As per reports, this series was made under a Rs 50 lakh budget per episode, which was generated via brand and movie promotions. Second Season Premiered On…
Following the success of the first season, Amazon Prime Video presented the second season, which continued to explore the lives of Abhilash, Dhairya, Guri, SK and Sandeep Bhaiya, delving deeper into relationships and the moral values they encounter. Sunny Hinduja's portrayal of Sandeep Bhaiya has received special attention, with fans praising his commendable performance, which gives dimension to the story.
This show not only created a benchmark on OTT platforms but also left renowned shows like Sacred Games, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Scam 1992 and many others behind with its remarkable approach to storytelling. The series also received many nominations in the OTT Awards sector, which includes the Filmfare OTT Awards, Hitlist OTT, and the Indian Telly Streaming Awards.
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Indian Express
23 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Maareesan movie review: Fahadh Faasil, Vadivelu anchor this flawed comedy thriller
Maareesan movie review: If one were to make a list of the most disgustingly problematic Malayalam movies of all time, Villali Veeran (2014) would be a strong contender for the top spot from the last decade. While most films from that era featuring Dileep — accused of masterminding the sexual assault of a fellow actor in 2017 — were imbued with repugnant tropes, Villali Veeran stood out as the first among equals. Besides being an extremely shoddy film overall, it was loaded with high amounts of misogyny, and not to mention the many, many rape 'jokes'. Hence, when its director, Sudheesh Sankar, makes a comeback as a filmmaker after a decade, it's not unreasonable to have reservations about the movie. But considering that Maareesan features Fahadh Faasil and Vadivelu, can we afford to ignore it either? Soon after his release from prison, Dhayalan (Fahadh) returns to thievery and is on the hunt for something big, so that he doesn't have to waste time stealing small items like mobile phones, purses containing only a little cash, and bikes parked at movie theatres anymore. As a part of this plan, he breaks into a house that night where he meets an ageing man, Velayudham Pillai (Vadivelu), chained to a window. Scared by Dhaya's threat, Velayudham tells him that there's no money at home, but promises to pay him by making a withdrawal from an ATM. Meanwhile, the old man reveals to the thief that he suffers from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, which is why his son has handcuffed him to the window. At the ATM, Dhayalan notices that Velayudham has about Rs 25 lakh in his account. After paying some money to Dhaya, Velayudham decides to leave for either his daughter's place in Palakkad or his friend's in Thiruvannamalai. Assuring to drop him where he wanted on his bike, Dhaya takes the old man along, although his eye is only on the money. However, hurdles start cropping up in his path as Velayudham forgets the ATM PIN and even details about his life, with the elderly man sometimes mistaking Dhaya for his son Kumar. Nonetheless, the thief remains determined. As the movie progresses, though, we start getting the feeling that there's more to Velayudham than we see. Is he hiding something from us? Above all, who is he actually? For a movie titled Maareesan — a rakshasa character in the Hindu epic of Ramayana, who served as an ally of Ravana and played a key role in the kidnapping of Sita — it wastes an awful lot of time disguising itself as a fun comedy wherein the fate of a thief and his loot hinges on the mercy of the victim. Considering that the film's named Maareesan, it's almost impossible to believe that this storyline forms its core. Regardless, writer V Krishna Moorthy and director Sudheesh Sankar make the movie circle around a single focal point for so long that it becomes tiring soon. What makes it worse is that, when Maareesan shifts to a higher gear, Sudheesh fails to give it the dramatic elevation it requires, at least to jolt awake those viewers who might have dozed off. Instead, that entire portion of revealing a part of Velayudham Pillai's real identity, in the scenes leading up to the interval, is treated as if it isn't a big deal, thus wasting a good opportunity to showcase a genre shift well. Although Maareesan, under a different title and by taking a different narrative route, could have been something as heartwarming and amazing as director Barry Levinson's Rain Man (1988) — especially considering that Vadivelu and Fahadh are able to seep into the characters' souls effortlessly and the chemistry between them is spectacular, much like the case of Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in the Hollywood movie — it is denied the opportunity to utilise that potential. And this happens primarily because the movie, after a point, swerves into the thriller territory and the hollowness that existed in the writing from the start — which we didn't notice initially because we were too occupied soaking in the charming chemistry that the lead two actors were creating — becomes too evident. What further detracts from the experience is the soap opera-ish kind of making style director Sudheesh Sankar has adopted — mirroring the many TV serials he has directed over the years — with the climax ending up as the most-affected sequence. Featuring a fight that makes us question our visual perceptual skills, simply because it's been choreographed and paced in an extremely odd manner, the climax almost ruins the few good things about Maareesan, which is ultimately saved by the lead duo. In fact, that can be said about pretty much the entire movie, with Fahadh and Vadivelu becoming the ones doing all the heavy lifting while Sudheesh and Krishna Moorthy, among most others, just watch with the cameras on. Despite this being the third time that he plays a complete thief (not just a character involved in fraudulent activities) — after Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017) and Vettaiyan (2024) — Fahadh ensures that Dhaya is nothing like Prasad or Battery. His ability to deeply dive into a narrative and fully immerse himself in a character, without relying on stock emotions or clichéd body language tied to the character's occupation, is evident here as well. His mastery as an actor is most visible in scenes where he is consuming liquor, and the way Dhaya's drunkenness progresses in an organic manner, devoid of cliches, is nothing short of splendid. Although Dhaya cannot be called even one of his best, what works in his favour here is the combination with Vadivelu. As if one is the Yin to the other's Yang, they not only complement each other's performances but also elevate and inspire one another to push beyond their limits. Even the most mundane conversations between Dhaya and Velayudham, deadened by mediocre dialogues and lazy writing (which gets worse in the second half), never lose our attention because it's a delight to watch the two's rapport unfold. Despite the character suffering from poor writing, Vadivelu's handling of Velayudham is nothing short of extraordinary. The way the innate innocence in his face translates into the character's blank stares is a sight to behold. Much like the comedic bits, he also excels at portraying the other shades of Velayudham — be it distress, sadness or even moments of villainy — with ease. It was also very satisfying to hear him singing again. On the technical front, Yuvan Shankar Raja knocks it out of the park with the background score and the tracks, contributing significantly to Maareesan's overall quality. Dinesh Manoharan's costume design and Abdul's makeup also deserve praise. Nonetheless, what truly drives the final nail into the film's coffin is the way Sudheesh Sankar and Krishna Moorthy have handled the core subject of child sexual abuse. Despite it being a sensitive matter, it's simply thrown into the narrative and dealt with in an extremely superficial and amateur manner, even to the extent that it prompts us to wonder if the makers really had good intentions while deciding to use it as the movie's crux. Much like most films directed by men and revolving around themes like rape and assault, Maareesan also completely invisibilises the victims and survivors and turns it into yet another male-saviour narrative. The erasure of victims is so blatant that the only time they are shown on screen is to give viewers a glimpse of the trauma they went through, to justify the actions of Velayudham. It's as if they had no existence before the crime they faced or an identity beyond that. Besides making Velayudham and Dhaya say dialogues denouncing child sexual abuse and the need for stringent punishments for the perpetrators, the film as a whole doesn't contribute to that cause, and hence, the lines eventually come across as performative. For a person to transform, realising their past mistakes and problematic mindsets, thus registering character growth, is totally plausible. So, the possibility that the same Sudheesh Sankar who made the atrocious Villali Veeran could have undergone a change of heart and chosen to make a film about child sexual abuse was not out of the question. However, the way the topic has been woven into Maareesan and handled makes one wonder, did he really mean to condemn it? Or was he simply and shamelessly playing to the gallery both times? First, by creating a misogynistic monolith when such harmful portrayals were normalised, and now, by making a film about child sexual abuse at a time when socially conscious cinema is in the spotlight. Maareesan movie cast: Fahadh Faasil, Vadivelu, Kovai Sarala, Vivek Prasanna, Sithara Maareesan movie director: Sudheesh Sankar Maareesan movie rating: 2 stars Anandu Suresh is a Senior sub-editor at Indian Express Online. He specialises in Malayalam cinema, but doesn't limit himself to it and explores various aspects of the art form. He also pens a column titled Cinema Anatomy, where he delves extensively into the diverse layers and dimensions of cinema, aiming to uncover deeper meanings and foster continuous discourse. Anandu previously worked with The New Indian Express' news desk in Hyderabad, Telangana. You can follow him on Twitter @anandu_suresh_ and write (or send movie recommendations) to him at ... Read More
India.com
23 minutes ago
- India.com
Meet India's top paid actress, charges Rs 7 crore for a stage performance; not Priyanka Chopra, Rashmika, Samantha, Aishwarya, Deepika Padukone, name is….
Do you know about this actress? She is a famous Bollywood star and model who has recently made headlines for earning Rs 7 crore for a stage performance. A beauty pageant titleholder, she won Miss Diva – Miss Universe India 2015 and represented India at Miss Universe 2015. She has worked alongside actors like Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol and has made a mark in both Bollywood and South Indian cinema. The 31-year-old actress has had more flops than hits. Yet, she remains highly popular on social media and in media circles. She often makes headlines for her extravagant lifestyle, including expensive dresses, luxury bags, and jewellery. She once grabbed attention by cutting a gold cake on her birthday and, on another occasion, was seen flaunting a 24-carat gold phone cover. We are talking about Urvashi Rautela. She was given a heartwarming welcome in the Kingdom of Jeddah. She is one of the highest-paid actresses. Urvashi recently travelled to Saudi Arabia for her show. She stormed the stage with her brilliant performance. Urvashi was generously paid Rs 7 Crore (INR) for her iconic performance in the Kingdom of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia which is equivalent to 34 Lakh Saudi Riyals, something that no other Indian actress has achieved in history. The entire auditorium where she performed live was sold out. The video of Urvashi Rautella performing on stage is also going viral: Urvashi made her Bollywood debut with Sunny Deol's film Singh Saab The Great and has appeared in movies like Hate Story 4, Pagalpanti, Great Grand Masti, Sanam Re, and Daku Maharaj. While Hate Story 4 performed averagely at the box office, Daku Maharaj was a superhit. However, most of her other films were flops. She was last seen in Sunny Deol's Jaat . She had a special appearance in the song ' Touch Kiya '. She has a great line-up of films to be released in 2025, which the audience is eagerly waiting. Some of the projects include ' Welcome To The Jungle ' with Akshay Kumar, ' Kasoor 2′ with Aftab Shivdasani.
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Business Standard
23 minutes ago
- Business Standard
A R Rahman, OpenAI CEO Altman collaborate on AI project 'Secret Mountain'
Renowned composer A R Rahman is set to merge music with artificial intelligence through his latest collaboration with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for an upcoming AI project "Secret Mountain". Rahman shared the announcement with a post on his Instagram handle on Friday, featuring him alongside Altman. He called the upcoming venture a "virtual global band", which will "empower and uplift Indian minds to use AI tools." "It was a pleasure meet @sama at his office we discussed Secret Mountain, our virtual global band, and to empower and uplift Indian minds to use AI tools to address generational challenges and lead the way forward. EPI," he wrote in the caption. The story follows a young woman named Luna, who finds herself in the realm of Secret Mountain, where she encounters a variety of musical characters hailing from different cultural backgrounds Rahman posted a glimpse of the project last year on his YouTube channel. It was titled "Introducing the Secret Mountain". In the video, the character can be heard saying, "Hey, I'm Luna, let me tell you a story. Like most of us, I have been wandering the jungles of instant gratification, dooms of scrolling.
