Friday, 06 June 2025
Friday, 06 June 2025
From the long-awaited reunion of an iconic actor-director duo to the latest instalment of a hit comedy franchise, a variety of films are hitting screens in India this week. Here’s everything you need to know.
Thug Life (Tamil)
Directed by: Mani Ratnam
Cast: Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan TR, Trisha, Ashok Selvan, Joju George, Nasser
Jointly produced by Raaj Kamal Films International and Madras Talkies, Thug Life revolves around Rangaraya Sakthivel Naickar (Haasan), a mafia kingpin who rescues a boy named Amaran from a police shootout and raises him as his own. Years later, when Sakthivel survives an assassination attempt, suspicion falls on the now-grown Amaran (played by Silambarasan), prompting a showdown. The film marks Haasan and Ratnam’s first collaboration in 37 years.
Housefull 5 (Hindi)
Directed by: Tarun Mansukhani
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Nargis Fakhri, Sonam Bajwa, Jacqueline Fernandez
The fifth instalment in the popular comedy franchise, Housefull 5 features Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and Abhishek Bachchan as three impostors, all claiming to be the heir to a deceased billionaire, as they jostle for inheritance aboard a 20-storey luxury cruise. A murder on board makes matters worse for the trio as they become prime suspects in the case. In a first for a Bollywood film, the course of the investigation, and the identity of the murderer, will be different in the two versions of the film.
The Phoenician Scheme (English)
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Cast: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston
Wes Anderson’s black comedy The Phoenician Scheme revolves around Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro, Mia), a wealthy European businessman, who names his daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton), a devout nun, as the sole inheritor of his vast fortune. But as Korda launches a new business venture, ruthless tycoons, international terrorists, and lethal assassins threaten their lives.
The Life of Chuck (English)
Directed by: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay, and Mark Hamill
Based on a novella of the same name, written by Stephen King, The Life of Chuck follows the story of Charles ‘Chuck’ Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), depicting his life in reverse-chronological order while exploring how his existence appears to influence the world around him. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, where it bagged the People's Choice Award. Jacob Tremblay, Benjamin Pajak, Cody Flanagan play the younger versions of Chuck.
Raas (Bengali)
Directed by: Tathagata Mukherjee
Cast: Vikram Chatterjee, Devlina Kumar, Anasua Majumder, Anirban Chakrabarti
Filmmaker Tathagata Mukherjee attempts to bring back that lost world of the Bengali joint family in his latest directorial Raas. Vikram Chatterjee plays Somnath, who was born in a village called Manikpur but moved to Kolkata with his father after the death of his mother. Having been raised in an urban lifestyle, he suddenly feels the pull of his ancestral home and family and reconnect with his roots.
Batshorik (Bengali)
Directed by: Mainak Bhaumik
Cast: Ritabhari Chakraborty, Satabdi Roy
Filmmaker Mainak Bhaumik is back with his latest psychological thriller Batshorik. The story follows Brishti (Ritabhari Chakraborty), a young widow who lives alone in a sprawling house following the death of her husband Neel in a car accident. Tensions arise when Neel’s sister, Swapna (Satabdi Roy), moves in and becomes convinced that sinister forces within the house were behind her brother’s demise. Determined to purge the home of evil ahead of Neel’s first death anniversary, Swapna’s beliefs clash with Brishti’s rational worldview.
