Telegu, Malayalam films that coined it
LAST week we looked at the top grossing films in the Tamil movie industry from January to June. We now focus on the Telegu and Malayalam industries during the same period.
The top spot went to the film,
Maharshi, which was slated as one of the biggest non-Baahubali releases in the history of Telegu cinema and amassed R350 million.
It starred Mahesh Babu, whose character Rishi Kumar wanted to rule the world by creating a software revolution.
The movie had an impressive music score by Devi Sri Prasad and featured veterans Jayasudha and Prakash Raj.
The Malayalam film, Lucifer, also amassed R350m and it marked Prithiviraj’s foray into the industry as a director.
The political thriller starred Mohanlal as Lucifer and featured Manju Warrier and Vivek Oberoi.
It was about the Kerala chief minister (played by Sachin Khadekar), who died and the question of his successor formed the premise of this movie.
In the third spot was Kumbalangi
Nights. Debutant director Madhu C Narayanan perfectly captured the beauty of the village against the backdrop of rural unemployment in this Malayalam family drama.
It was about the dysfunctional relationship among four brothers and it raked in R295m.
The Telegu family entertainer, Fun
and Frustration, starring Venketesh and Varun Tej, followed. They played husbands who fell prey to their calculating wives. It earned R250m.
Vinaya Vidheya Rama stars Telegu superstar Ram Charan as a feisty youngster who seeks revenge when the happiness of his family is threatened by the actions of a violent crime lord.
His co-star was Kiara Advani. The film earned R190m.
● Suriya makes waves for education:
THE actor and his family are noted for their outreach programmes and philanthropy.
Realising the importance of education, the family runs the Agaram Foundation that has to date sponsored the education of thousands of students.
The actor has, therefore, criticised the latest policy changes in the educational system.
Among his concerns were the children in LKG (lower kindergarten) being forced to learn three languages. This after the Central Government’s policy to make Hindi a compulsory language throughout India. Suriya also spoke about his concern on the closure of 1 848 schools that are facing a shutdown.
His concerns are valid but he was taken to task for criticising the policy.
Actor Kamal Hassan came to Suriya’s rescue and applauded him for speaking his mind.
It is always heartening to see artists reach out and use their popularity and influence to give a voice to the voiceless.
● Lutchmanan is an educator, author and linguistic campaigner. She is also a presenter/producer at Lotus FM. You can hear her on Inisai Mazhai, Fridays from 6pm – 7pm, and The Best Of Kodambakkam, Sundays 1pm – 3pm