First Day First Show

22 March 2024

Written and curated by Gopinath Rajendran and Vivek M.V., this newsletter brings you the latest and best from the world of movies and entertainment

Sara Ali Khan interview, ‘3 Body Problem’ review
Around Tinsel Town

> Prime Video’s 2024 slate out; streamer unveils 40 original titles

Prime Video on Tuesday unveiled a slate of 69 upcoming films and shows set to stream on the platform over the next two years. The streamer announced a line-up of 40 original titles, a mix of films and shows, along with 29 licensed movies. It features a wide array of content spanning multiple genres in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

Here are a few highlights from the announcement:

Varun Dhawan, Samantha are spies and lovers in ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’ first look

Boman Irani to make directorial debut with ‘The Mehta Boys’

‘Suzhal: The Vortex’ renewed for Season 2

‘Gangs Kuruthi Punal’: Ashok Selvan’s Tamil period crimes series coming to Prime Video

Karthik Subbaraj-backs Tamil series ‘Snakes and Ladders’

> Ed Sheeran captivates audience at Mumbai concert

Thousands gathered to catch a glimpse of Ed Sheeran, who set the stage on fire with his electrifying concert, which also saw the British music sensation perform with Indian artists Diljit Dosanjh and Armaan Malik. Sheeran regaled music aficionados for two and a half hours and sang over 30 songs. Ahead of the concert, filmmaker Farah Khan threw a grand party for Sheeran which was attended by stars like Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Madhuri Dixit.

Bollywood
Shahid Kapoor to front action film ‘Ashwatthama – The Saga Continues’

‘Chandni Bar’ sequel to release in December, 2025

Vicky Kaushal, Triptii Dimri, Ammy Virk board ‘Bad Newz’

Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor’s horror-comedy titled ‘Kapkapiii’

MM Keeravani collaborates with Anupam Kher for ‘Tanvi The Great’

Pulkit Samrat and Kriti Kharbanda tie the knot in Delhi wedding

Fake news: Amitabh Bachchan on reports of his ill health

Hollywood
Jason Bateman, Jude Law team up for Netflix limited series ‘Black Rabbit’

Timothee Chalamet begins shooting for Bob Dylan’s biopic

Priyanka Chopra Jonas to narrate Disneynature’s documentary film ‘Tiger’

Star Wars’ spin-off series ‘The Acolyte’ locks premiere date

Alessandro Nivola boards cast of Pedro Almodovar’s ‘The Room Next Door’

Michael Showalter and Michelle Pfeiffer team up for holiday comedy, ‘Oh What Fun’

Jeffery Wright joins Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s ‘High and Low’

Ryan Coogler’s next project with Michael Jordan locks release date

David Schwimmer joins ‘Goosebumps’ Season 2 cast on Disney+

Ethan Embry, Li Jun Li team up for ‘Alma And The Wolf’

‘Downton Abbey’ sequel confirmed as the “final” chapter in British period drama

Sobhita Dhulipala on ‘Monkey Man’: Dream to be part of Dev Patel’s vision

Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap teams up with ‘Loki’ director Kate Herron for ‘The Sims’ adaptation

Sundance Film Festival announces fresh dates for 2025

Randall Park, Yvette Nicole Brown, Elijah Wood join cast of animated show ‘Among Us’

Cillian Murphy definitely returning for ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie, says Steven Knight

Regional cinema
Biopic of Ilaiyaraaja starring Dhanush launched; actor calls Maestro’s music his companion and acting guru

Ram Charan, Janhvi Kapoor’s film launched in Hyderabad

‘L360’: Mohanlal’s next to be directed by Tharun Moorthy

Fahadh Faasil teams up with ‘Baahubali’ makers for ‘Oxygen’ and ‘Don’t Trouble The Trouble’

A R Rahman and Prabhu Deva reunite for a film after 25 years

SS Rajamouli attends ‘RRR’ special screening in Japan

Anushka Shetty and Krish Jagarlamudi team up again for ‘Ghaati’

Jayasurya, Midhun Manuel Thomas announce ‘Aadu 3’

Vishwak Sen’s ‘Gangs of Godavari’ gets a release date

It’s a wrap for Mrunal Thakur – Vijay Deverakonda’s ‘Family Star’

Nivin Pauly’s ‘Malayalee From India’ gets a release date

Suhas to star in a project backed by Dil Raju Productions

‘Manjummel Boys’ becomes first Malayalam film to enter ₹200-crore club

Nikhil Siddhartha announces ‘Karthikeya 3’

Trailers
Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu and Kriti Sanon pull a golden heist in ‘Crew’ trailer

Netflix unveils ‘Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver’ trailer

Suriya and Bobby Deol face it off in ‘Kanguva’ Sizzle Teaser

Michael Keaton, Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder steal the show in ‘Beetlejuice 2’ trailer

Vineeth Sreenivasan promises an emotional ode to silver screen dreams in ‘Varshangalkku Shesham’ trailer

‘House of Dragon’ Season 2 trailer asks viewers to align themselves with either Rhaenyra’s faction or Alicent’s cohort

Team ‘Alien: Romulus’ drops terrifying new trailer revitalising iconic xenomorph franchise

Manoj Bajpayee is a man to be feared in ‘Bhaiyya Ji’ teaser

Zachary Levi enters reality with his magic crayon in ‘Harold and the Purple Crayon’ trailer

Yuva Rajkumar plays a rebellious youngster in ‘Yuva’ trailer

John Abraham, Sharvari promise a high-octane action drama with ‘Vedaa’ teaser

Essential Reading
1) David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woo on ‘3 Body Problem’

> The co-creators of the Netflix show talk to us about the challenges of translating Liu Cixin’s epic novel onto screen

2) Sara Ali Khan on ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’, books and freedom of speech

> The actor discusses her latest film and what the Gen-Z could learn from this chapter of the Indian national struggle

3) Actors Benedict Wong and Liam Cunningham on Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’

> The duo talk about getting into their respective roles for the live-action adaptation of the acclaimed novel

4) Amala Paul shares why she is ‘super grateful’ for ‘Aadujeevitham’

> The actor talks about how landing the film coincided with her spiritual journey and what becoming Sainu meant

5) The eternal boyishness of Kunal Kemmu

> The actor talks about his directorial debut ‘Madgaon Express’, a film that appears steeped in his relaxed worldview

6) Echoes of Arrakis: unravelling the sonic splendour of ‘Dune: Part Two’

> The aural landscape of ‘Dune: Part Two’ is an excellent reminder that film is not just a visual medium, but a sensory experience

7) Allison Janney and Leslie Bibb on working with and being starstruck by Carol Burnett

> The actors share what make their latest Apple TV original ‘Palm Royale’ so unique

8) Beyond ‘Kanmani Anbodu’: A look into the success of ‘Manjummel Boys’ in Tamil Nadu

> Industry sources help us understand the historical run of Malayalam film ‘Manjummel Boys’ in Tamil Nadu

9) Karthik Kumar on his stand-up special ‘Aansplaining’

> He talks about his latest special and why its theatrical screening could well be a “new playground”

10) Singer Jithin Raj on working with AR Rahman in ‘Aadujeevitham’

> Jithin Raj, a multi-lingual singer, talks about his journey in tinsel town and his song ‘Periyone’ from ‘Aadujeevitham’

11) Pravalya Duddupudi, the mastermind behind the sets for ‘Gaami’

> The Vishwak Sen-starrer was accentuated by the production design done by the painter, sculptor and calligraphy artist

12) A look at how filmmaker Christopher Nolan is a layered traditionalist

> A deep dive into how the Oscar-winning director wants to give his audience the same feel and quality of the traditional cinema

What to watch
1) Liu Cixin’s ‘3 Body Problem’ is a hard science fiction epic that gets the ‘GoT’ treatment

Read the full review here

2) ‘Madgaon Express’ is a frisky comedy that finds heart in excess

Read the full review here

3) ‘Rebel’ is a politically-charged film let down by shoddy making

Read the full review here

4) ‘Om Bheem Bush’ is more than just spooky hilarity and bromance

Read the full review here

5) Jake Gyllenhaal, Conor McGregor’s ‘Road House’ is a fun action film that tapers into silliness

Read the full review here

6) Sara Ali Khan leads a fancy dress show in ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’

Read the full review here

7) ‘Jananam 1947, Pranayam Thudarunnu’ is a moving tale of finding companionship in the sunset years

Read the full review here

8) ‘Manhunt’ is a tired historical thriller fails to pull the trigger

Read the full review here

9) ‘Frida’ is a story of passion and resilience, intimately told

Read the full review here

10) ‘Irish Wish’ works better as an ad for Ireland tourism than a romcom

Read the full review here

11) Pankaj Tripathi powers ‘Murder Mubarak’, a wacky whodunit

Read the full review here

12) ‘Anchakkallakokkan’ fails to leave an impact despite stylistic flourishes

Read the full review here

13) The scares are non-existent in ‘Imaginary’

Read the full review here

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New in Streaming
Coming to Netflix: ‘3 Body Problem’, ‘Young Royals Season 3’, ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ and more
New on Disney+Hotstar in March: ‘Showtime’, ‘96th Academy Awards’, ‘Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour’, ‘X-Men ‘97’, and more
New on Apple TV Plus: ‘Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend,’ ‘Constellation,’ and more

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