WOW! recommends from the haystack of shows and cinemas this season
Guntur Kaaram
Superstar Mahesh Babu and Trivikram unite after 13 years to bring us the former’s mass image back on the silver screen in the most spectacular manner possible – complete with the latter’s writing prowess and hero elevation unlike any other filmmaker in the business. Thaman’s music is a rage already and Sankranti could not come sooner. The film also stars Sreeleela, Jagapathi Babu
and Meenakshi Chaudhary among others.
Date: 12 th January
Location: The Cinemas
The Underdoggs
One would never imagine this, but Snoop Dogg stars in this sports-comedy as a former football player who agrees to coach a youth football team in order to avoid prison time and relaunch his career. The wackiest idea to come out of Hollywood in years, this film is directed by Charles Stone and produced by Dogg himself in collaboration with Amazon Studios. Snoop Dogg as a football
player is the hype American cinema needs a t the moment.
Date: 26 th January
Location: Amazon Prime Video
Fighter
Siddharth Anand attempts to bring the first high-quality aerial action motion picture to the country with a star cast of bigwigs. These include, Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover and Akshay Oberoi among others. The film is written by Anand and Ramon Chibb. And is produced by Anand under his newly formed company, Marflix Pictures, in collaboration with Viacom18. The first teaser looks exciting as the film attempts to make the most of the Republic Day weekend.
Date: 25 th January
Location: The Cinemas
Captain Miller
Dhanush returns to the big screen after Vaathi, teaming up with Arun Matheswaran; this is a period adventure \ on the lines of The Great Escape. Matheswaran’s patience paid off given the film was being developed for three years and had a year-long pre-production. The teaser looks excellent while Dhanush’s choice of films have always been exciting.
Date: 12 th January
Location: The Cinemas
The Beekeeper
David Ayer – the filmmaker who made cop dramas relevant again, returns to basics with Kurt Wimmer as the writer and Jason Statham in the lead, exploring an ex-operative’s revenge path after his neighbor and friend is caught in a phishing scam. Ayer returns behind the camera after four years to provide a action movie without the over-the-top ness of Hollywood big-budget CGI.
Date: 12 th January
Location: The Cinemas
Griselda
Superstar Sofia Vergara takes over the cocaine business during 1970’s Miami and slips into the character of Griselda Blanco – the Godmother of cocaine. She was part of the infamous Miami drug war during the 70’s and 80’s. The series is directed by Narcos specialist Andrés Baiz, as he takes us through the rise of Blanca over the decades, until her prison term.
Date: 25 th January
Location: Netflix
Echo
After making her debut in Hawkeye, Alaqua Cos returns as the titular character in this mini-series which follows the events with Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, as Maya Lopez returns to her hometown to reconnect with her roots and come to terms with her past. Vincent D'Onofrio returns as William Fisk while Charlie Cox will make an appearance as Matt Murdock. The phase five of the MCU continues as Marvel Studios tries to regroup and focus on better cinemas.
Date: 10th January
Location: Disney+ Hotstar
Death and Other Details
A brand new whodunnit is on its way. Starring Mandy Patinkin in the lead as Rufus Coteworth, the lead finds himself on a luxury cruise liner when a locked-room murder takes place. The series is created and written by Mike Weiss and Heidi Cole McAdams with The Amazing Spider-Man duology director Marc Webb directing part of the series. A murder-mystery is always welcome,
irrespective of the time of the year.
Date: 16 th January
Location: TBA
The Brother Sun
The co-creator of Glee returns with an action comedy about an average Californian whose life turns upside down, when his brother from Taiwan pays him a visit and turns out to be a renowned gangster back home. The show starts Michelle Yeoh, Justin Chien, Sam Song Li and Madison Hu among others. It is created by Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu. Kevin Tancharoen – known for the
fan short Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, directs the series.
Date: 4 th January
Location: Netflix
Masters of the Air
Austin Butler – fresh off the accolades he has received for his portrayal of Elvis Presley, stars in this war drama based on the 2007 book of the same name by Donald Miller. This follows the actions of the 100 th Bomb Group of the US Army’s Air Force during World War II and the losses it incurred in the combat missions. It serves as a companion to Band of Brothers and The Pacific. The
series consist of filmmakers like Cary Joji Fukunaga who made No Time to Die and Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck who directed Captain Marvel among others. It is produced by Apple and that guarantees expansive production design and top-
notch visuals.
Date: 26 th January
Location: Apple TV
