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'Sara'S' review: Anchored by a powerful script, this simple film breaks the conventions of the feel-good template

Jude Anthany Joseph's third feature, after Ohm Shanti Oshana and Oru Muthassi Gadha, released on Prime Video at midnight today. This seemingly feel-good film, also seemingly made in limited spaces and with a shoestring budget, tackles a concept and issue never tested before in Malayalam cinema  circles. In Sara'S, we follow the life of Sara Vincent (Anna Ben), a young, bubbly, yet unapologetic filmmaker who struggles to make it big in the industry. She continuously assists male directors and is in the scripting works of her dream film. Sara has decided, from her school days, that she would not bear any kids. This is when she meets Jeevan (Sunny Wayne); her relationship with him subsequently brings her ideology and decision into a confrontation with the established norms of society, family and child-rearing.  Anna Ben in Sara'S The best aspect in which Sara'S has excelled, without doubt, is its hard-hitting taut script. Debutant Akshay Hareesh deserves praise for managin...

Raat Akeli Hai, Ludo, Gunjan Saxena and more: What to expect from Netflix's new slate of Bollywood titles

For Bollywood worshipers, Netflix India came with exciting news as it unveiled the streaming giant's new slate of titles, including in-house productions, commissioned projects and acquired titles. Netflix's new announcement came as streaming platforms in the country, with the likes of Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and Amazon Prime Video, are racing to acquire and release Indian films on their platforms, in lieu of the now dormant theaters. 



In their announcement, Monika Shergill, VP-Content of Netflix India, stated,"We are excited to share our lineup of stories across formats and multiple genres. We know our members have unique tastes, moods and needs – sometimes, they want to lean back and watch a delightful comedy, and at other times, they want a pulse-pounding thriller that brings them to the edge of their seats. Together with the finest stories from around the world and our rapidly growing selection of licensed titles, we want to give our members something to discover and love on Netflix every day."

In it's new slate of titles which also include Indian series, Netflix announced the release of twelve films, which also include the much awaited Ludo, the ensemble film by Anurag Basu, Gunjan Saxena, a biopic starring Janhvi Kapoor, and Alankrita Srivasta's Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare.

Below are the upcoming Bollywood films scheduled to release digitally on Netflix:

    1. Ludo

Anurag Basu returns after his three-year hiatus with this promising ensemble dark comedy. Basu's previous outing, Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Jagga Jasoos, despite receiving rave reviews, was a disappointment in the box office. Ludo was originally scheduled to hit theaters on the 24th of April; however, the release became uncertain owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film, touted to be an anthology dark comedy, boasts of an enviable ensemble with the likes of Rajkummar Rao, Abhishek Bachchan, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Sanya Malhotra, Aditya Roy Kapur, Pankaj Tripathi and others. However, Ludo's release date has not yet been specified.

    
    2. Gunjan Saxena

Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, is a biopic directed by Sharan Sharma, based on the life of India's first female airforce pilot in combat. Starring Janhvi Kapoor as Saxena, the film also has Pankaj Tripathi and Angad Bedi in the lead. The film has been jointly produced by Dharma Productions and Zee Studios.


    3. Raat Akeli Hai 

Already being touted as India's answer to Knives Out, Honey Trehan's Raat Akeli Hai stars Netflix favorites Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte in the lead roles, with other cast members including Shweta Tripathi, Tigmanshu Dhulia and others. Netflix India, shortly after the announcement of it's new slate, released the trailer of the upcoming film, which already has the intensity and tension of a crime thriller. The film is jointly produced by Abhishek Chaubey and Ronnie Screwwala. 



    4. Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare

Directed by the acclaimed Alankrita Shrivastava, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare stars the talented Konkona Sen Sharma and Bhumi Pednekar. Shrivastava's previous outing, Lipstick Under My Burkha, had been a critical success. Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare had also done its rounds in the festival circuit, as it premiered in the 2019 Busan International Film Festival.



    5. Bombay Rose

Gitanjali Rao’s award-winning animated film which opened the Venice Critics’ Week follows a love story between two street flower sellers who dream of a better life.



    6. Ginny Weds Sunny

The directorial debut of Puneet Khanna is a rom-com featuring Yami Gautam and Vikrant Massey.

    7. Torbaaz 

Torbaaz is an action-thriller starring Sanjay Dutt and Nargis Fakhri is rumoured to explore the world of suicide bombers in Afghanistan.

   8. Tribhanga: Tedhi Meri Crazy

The directorial debut of Renuka Shahane is a family drama which follows the lives of three women from different generations in a family. It stars Kajol, Tanvi Azmi and Mithila Palkar.

    9. Kaali Khuhi

A horror story set in a village in Punjab, the film stars Shabana Azmi, Satyadeep Mishra, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Riva Arora.

    10. Serious Men

Sudhir Mishra returns to the director’s chair with a witty drama based on Manu Joseph’s novel which stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Nassar and Shweta Basu Prasad.

    11. Class of ‘83

Netflix’s third collaboration with Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment is a police drama which stars Bobby Deol, Shriya Saran and Pulkit Samrat. It is directed by Atul Sabharwal.

    12. AK vs AK 

Vikramaditya Motwane’s next is a dark comedy starring Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap as the two titular AKs. It revolves around the kidnapping of a well-known film star by a famous director and the cat and mouse game that follows.

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