Friday, June 12, promises to be a blockbuster day at the cinemas for movie lovers with several veteran filmmakers returning to the big screen with their latest feature. Also, hitting theatres this week in India is an indie horror thriller that has created a box-office record in the US. Added bonus for millennials: Aamir Khan’s Lagaan is returning to theatres this Friday to mark the film’s 25th anniversary.
Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s theatrical releases:
Disclosure Day (English)
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Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth and Wyatt Russell
Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor play characters who make contact with aliens in Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi film Disclosure Day. Blunt plays a meteorologist who falls prey to a mysterious force from outer space while appearing live to deliver a weather report. O’Connor features as a man who wants to find out the truth behind aliens and reveal it to the world. The film marks Spielberg’s return to extraterrestrial sci-fi nearly two decades after War of the Worlds.
Backrooms (English)
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Directed by: Kane Parsons
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell
A psychological horror story, Backrooms follows Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a struggling furniture store owner, and Mary (Renate Reinsve), his therapist, whose lives intersect after strange electrical anomalies begin to affect the store. Investigating a hidden source in the basement, Clark discovers a portal into labyrinthine dimension known as the Backrooms: an endless expanse of eerily familiar, fluorescent-lit corridors and disquieting, empty spaces. As Clark becomes increasingly drawn into this alternate realm, he and small group attempt to document and understand its rules. Inside, reality feels unstable, time and memory blur, and unknown presences lurk just out of sight.
Scary Movie 6 (English)
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Directed by: Michael Tiddes
Cast: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris, Regina Hall
A horror-comedy parody and the sixth entry in the franchise, Scary Movie 6 follows Cindy Campbell, Ray Wilkins, Brenda Meeks, and Shorty Meeks as they are drawn back into chaos when a masked killer reminiscent of Ghostface resurfaces. A new generation of teenagers, including Cindy’s daughter Tuesday and her friends, becomes entangled in the attacks, forcing fractured families and old allies to reunite.
Main Vaapas Aaunga (Hindi)
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Directed by: Imtiaz Ali
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina, Sharvari
Naseeruddin Shah plays an ailing man haunted by memories of the woman he loved and lost during the 1947 Partition of India, in Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga. On his deathbed, Shah’s character is consumed by a longing to reunite one last time with the woman he loved, the younger version of whom is played by Sharvari. As his memories blur into fragments of the past, his grandson (Diljit Dosanjh) struggles to piece together the unfinished story his dying grandfather is desperately trying to express. Vedang Raina plays the younger version of Shah’s character.
Sing Geetham (Telugu)
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Directed by: Singeetam Srinivasa
Cast: Ayaan, Ahilya Bamroo and Shalini Kondepudi
94-year old Telugu filmmaker Singeetam Srinivasa’s 61st film, Sing Geetham is billed as a musical fantasy film. “In an isolated village, young Prathap seeks opportunity but enters a world of deception. Drawn into uncontrollable forces, he's caught between progress and preservation, testing his beliefs and purpose,” reads the official logline of the film
Abar Hawa Bodol (Bengali)
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Directed by: Parambrata Chattopadhyay
Cast: Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Rudranil Ghosh, Raima Sen, Anusha Vishwanathan
Abar Hawa Bodol revisits the story of two estranged childhood friends, Raj (Rudranil) and Jeet (Parambrata Chattopadhyay), who reconnect while both are struggling with dissatisfaction in their personal lives. Jeet is weighed down by marital responsibilities and the pressures of parenthood, while Raj is uneasy in his romantic relationship and drifting through life. Their reunion, meant to be casual, takes an unexpected turn when they once again find themselves trapped in each other’s bodies, echoing events from their past.
Bharat Bhhagya Vidhata (Hindi)
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Directed by: Kangana Ranaut
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Girija Oak, Smita Tambe, Asha Shelar, Priya Arun Berde
The movie tells the story of a group of nurses at a Mumbai hospital to fight off terrorists and protect the patients during 26/11 Mumbai attacks, 2008.
BONUS: Lagaan re-release
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Aamir Khan’s Oscar-nominated 2001 film Lagaan is set to return to theatres on June 12 to mark the period drama’s 25th anniversary. Originally released on June 15, 2001, the Ashutosh Gowarikar-directed film followed the story of a group of villagers who challenge the British to a game of cricket to waive off their tax. The film won eight national awards and was nominated for an Oscar for the Best International Feature.
