Entertainment

A disappointing trend among Telugu filmmakers is the desperation to hold on to a specific genre or storytelling style and overuse it till the novelty wears off. It is like a magician relying on the same trick until the secret is laid bare.Director Ritesh Rana’s quirky, parody-style narratives set against crime — seen across the Mathu Vadalarafranchise and, to an extent, Happy Birthday — were one-of-a-kind when they first arrived, with the mark of a storyteller with a unique voice. With Jetlee, however, it appears as though his signature style has overstayed its welcome, struggling to offer anything new. Jetlee, as per the writer-director’s own admission, was born when a serious aviation thriller was reimagined as a comedy. The drama begins when Prajapati (Ajay), the founder of a bank, flees to Dubai with his customers’ deposits. A key member of the bank is brutally killed, and a crooked politician, Melkote, is after Prajapati’s life.

An almost archaic communication method takes center stage when the characters played by Mammootty and Mohanlal first make contact in Mahesh Narayanan’s Patriot, well into the film’s second half. It would seem apt in a way, hinting at the vintage quality of their association while also fitting well inside the theme of the film on digital mass surveillance. For that matter, the last time the duo came together in a film, almost two decades ago, digital surveillance was just an emerging public concern. Now, it seems rather ubiquitous, and Mahesh Narayanan appears fully taken in by the urgency to convey these fears to a larger audience. The two superstars are thus tools for this socio-political endeavour rather than the screenplay being in service of their star aura, as often seen in such star-studded movies. Daniel James (Mammootty), a top-level employee in a Union government ministry, gets a hint of a nefarious surveillance system involving minister J.P.Sundaram (Rajiv Menon), and his corporate honcho son Shakthi (Fahadh Faasil). He is forced to go on the run to protect himself and uncover the truth.

Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia and Parambrata’s thriller series wraps up Nainital shootA source tells us, “The series is a thriller and is being shot in Nainital. Nimrit and Parambrata are leading the show, which went on floors almost 20 days back. The shooting of the series will wrap up by May end.”One schedule in Nainital is over and another schedule will start in another part of Uttarakhand next week which will be on till May end. Currently the cast is on a five day break. The actor will also be seen in a new look for this series as Nimrit has got fringes for the character. About Nimrit’s OTT debut Nimrit will star opposite Shaheer Sheikh with the rest of the cast including Mouni Roy, Sanjay Kapoor, Avinash Mishra, Harman Singha, Aasheema Vardaan in her OTT debut series titled Ab Hisaab Hoga.