A death-defining rom-com, a sports bio-pic, a murder mystery and a father-son drama…The box-office this Fridays revels in diversity.
Paglaitt and Saina both feature a female hero as their protagonist. While Saniya Malhotra (Dangal, Ludo, Badhaai Ho) plays a newly-widowed wife trapped in a tragedy that she cannot comprehend or process, in Saina, Parineeti Chopra, in her third release within a month, is absolutely brilliant as badminton champion Saina Nehwal.
While Saina opens in movie theatres in the midst of the growing pandemic, Pagglait will go straight on Netflix.
However, box-office figures will be comparable, since the digital performer has a razor sharp box-office barometer attached to its releases. Netflix would know exactly the number of people who watch Pagglait on March 26 when it opens. Having seen the film, I know the response would be pretty much overwhelming.
Saina, on the other hand, would have to battle all odds, not just in the badminton court but in the movie theatres. Would the story of Saina Nehwal be interesting enough to pull audiences back to theatres? It all depends on how convincing Parineeti’s Nehwal act is. It is impossible for an actor to play a living person convincingly, especially one who is in the limelight. Sushant Singh Rajput pulled it off in Dhoni The Untold Story. Parineeti’s gamely act has to be measured in a balanced perspective.
The Silence: Can You Hear It? is Aban Bharucha Deohans (eminent cinematographer Kiran Deohans wife)’s directorial debut. In January, another female director Renuka Shahane made her favourable directorial debut with Tribhanga: Tedhi Medhi Crazy. The Silence is a murder mystery with National award winner Manoj Bajpai investigating a gruesome murder. This one will stream from March 26 on Zee5. No previews as the producers don’t want to give away the mystery.
Finally, there is 7 Kadam, from Eros Now. It’s a feature film that has weirdly been split into a 4-part series by the producers. Directed by Mohit Jha, it features the talented duo Ronit Roy and Amit Sadh as a father and son battling over games of football. May the best man win.
And let's not forget Adam Wingard's Godzillla Vs KingKong which is a global blockbuster even before release. It is the kind of spectacular visual experience that can drag the audience back into theatres. Covid be damned.
Image source: IMDb