With the fate of the Chola empire hanging in the balance, Mani Ratnam’s epic period drama Ponniyin Selvan: Part 2 is the biggest draw in the cinemas this week. Other movies releasing on April 28 include an action comedy, a social drama, a spy action thriller and a romantic comedy.
Ponniyin Selvan: Part 2 (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada)
Directed by: Mani Ratnam
Cast: Chiyaan Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha Krishnan and Prakash Raj
The second and final instalment in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan film franchise will unravel the future of the Chola empire. Conspiracies are afoot to dislodge Chola king Sundara Chola (Prakash Raj) from the throne — a section of the ministers want Sundara’s cousin Madhurantakan (Rahman) to become the emperor, Pandya assassins have infiltrated the kingdom and Queen Nandini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) wants to destroy the Chola clan. Things go from bad to worse as prince Arunmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi), favourite of the people, is presumed dead in a cyclonic storm.
Bad Boy (Hindi)
Directed by: Rajkumar Santoshi
Cast: Namashi Chakraborthy, Amrin Qureshi, Darshan Jariwala, Johny Lever, Saswata Chatterjee and Rajesh Sharma
Mithun Chakraborty’s son, Namashi Chakraborty, makes his acting debut with his light comedy directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. Bad Boy revolves around Om Gulati (Namashi), an indolent young boy who falls in love with a studious girl (Amrin Qureshi) hailing from a conservative family. How Om tries to impress her forms the rest of the movie. Johny Lever, Rajesh Sharma, Darshan Jariwala and Saswata Chatterjee also star in the movie in significant roles.
The Song of Scorpions (Hindi)
Directed by: Anup Singh
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Golshifteh Farahani, Waheeda Rehman and Shashank Arora
Late actor Irrfan Khan plays a camel trader in The Song of Scorpions, which is based on an ancient legend that the only cure for a sting of a scorpion is the song sung by scorpion singers. A tribal woman Nooran (Golshifteh Farahani) is trained to become a scorpion singer by her grandmother Zubeidaa (Waheeda Rehman). However, a tragedy leads to Nooran being shunned by her village folk. Aadam (Irrfan Khan), who fell in love with Nooran after hearing her voice, offers to marry her. But soon after marriage, Nooran receives another shock, which sets her on a path of vengeance.
Sisu (English)
Directed by: Jalmari Helander
Cast: Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie, Jack Doolan and Mimosa Willamo
Set in the mid-1940s, during the last days of World War II, Sisu revolves around a miner in Finland who comes across a stash of gold. When he decides to transport the treasure across the country, he confronts the Nazis who try to steal his gold. Little did the soldiers know that the man was no ordinary miner. What follows is a bloody tale of valour and survival.
Polite Society (English)
Directed by: Nida Manzoor
Cast: Priya Kansara, Ritu Arya and Shobu Kapoor
Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) is a martial artist training to become a stuntwoman. When her elder sister Lena (Ritu Arya) drops out of college to get engaged, Ria decides that she must prevent her older sister from getting married. She enlists the help of her friends to pull off a wedding heist, which her mother (Shobu Kapoor) tries to foil. The action comedy has been helmed by Nida Manzoor, best known for directing two episodes of Doctor Who.
Agent (Telugu, Malayalam)
Directed by: Surender Reddy
Cast: Akhil Akkineni, Mammootty, Sakshi Vaidya and Dino Morea
In Surender Reddy’s spy action thriller, Akhil Akkhineni slips into the character of a rogue spy who goes on a dangerous mission to bring a deadly terrorist organisation to justice. Mamootty plays Akhil’s handler in the movie, while Sakshi Vaidya is the female lead. Bollywood actor Dino Morea also features in a key role.
