5 new movies releasing on OTT platforms for R-Day - Bro Daddy leads the pack

The Republic Day, which is a national holiday in the country, has given the filmmakers a window to push new releases on the OTT platforms in the middle of the week. And if there are a slew of new releases, you can rest assure there would be our usual column on what and where to catch the films.

This week's column comprises films from South India -- three in Malayalam, and each in Telugu and Kannada. Among the five, only one is a direct-on-OTT release, the remaining four have had their run in cinema halls.

The five films we have picked are: Badava Rascal in Kannada, and Arjuna Phalguna in Telugu. The Malayalam flicks include Aaha, Ellam Sheriyakum, and the biggest release of the season, Bro Daddy. The last named carries all the buzz and expectation. As with every week, a few more movies may also drop unannounced or without any fanfare.

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Ellam Sheriyakum

Synopsis: Malayalam film industry made hardy and meaty political films in the 80s and the 90s. But the trend slowly declined as politics in the country has also undergone a sea change. These days it is difficult to make a film in the genre without stirring up a controversy or two. Last year, top star Mammootty had the film One that was about politicians. But the film kind of pulled its punches and the political element in it was tepid. 

Ellam Sheriyakum is an emotional drama in a political backdrop. It is the story of a leading politician's daughter eloping with a young worker from an opposing party. The film  gets down to detail the face-off between the two men for power and the same woman's affection.

The 80s movies managed to flesh out enjoyable drama by mixing personal and political in acceptable proportions. This film too attempts the same.

Badava rascal

Synopsis: Thanks to the arrival of the OTT platforms, Kannada films --- generally seen to be the weakest among the four film industries in the South --- seem to have found their voice. They seem to be much more confident and unabashed about putting out their regional ethos and unique mores. Two weeks ago we saw Garuda Gamana Vrishaba Vahana. It was quintessentially Kannada in spirit, even while speaking an universal emotion. This film is too is about a rowdy gang. But this one's spirit is decidedly different. Its tone is larky and light, and also more self-aware.

The story broadly revolves around a middle-class man getting abducted by a gang because he is in love with a politico's daughter. But the fun here is he forces them to rethink their decisions by narrating his life story of friendship, love, breakup, family sentiments. It is  in a sense a strange coming of age movie. Dhanajay, whom we recently saw in the Telugu film Pushpa, is the lead here, and this is his home production.

Arjuna Phalguna

Synopsis: Films with historical names are not new in Telugu. Arjuna Phalguna is a crime comedy that tries to pull off a fun ride that Brochevarevarura managed a couple of years ago. That film is this one's spiritual senior. At the core here too is a bunch of friends and a bag full of currency. 

The film sets much store on friendship and the attendant feel-good fervour. The film may not have the heft of Brochevarevarura, but it compensates it by being adequately true to the cultural milieu it is located in. The native slang that the leads speak is something worth holding on to as it is pleasant and precise. Though a bit predictable, the film has its heart in the right place.

Aaha

Synopsis: Vadamvali, which is tug-of-war in Malayalam, is pretty big as a sport in Kerala. The film is inspired from a very popular tug-of-war team of the 80s and 90s  'Aaha Neeloor'. The team usually comprised manual hands from rubber plantations that Kerala is famous for. Those labourers did tough work in the morning, and tried their hands at this rugged sport in the night. It was a kind of sub culture in the upper regions of western ghats. 

Aaha uses those tropes for a sporting film drama even while providing a succinct social commentary on caste divide, hostility toward migrants, and other forms of social segregation that strangely nestle in this otherwise open and liberal land. The vadam (rope) is, in a sense, a tool for liberation for the hulky players of the macho sport.

Bro Daddy

Synopsis: A film featuring Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran, two of the biggest stars of the industry, releasing on an OTT platform directly is in itself big news. The film gets further impetus from the fact that it is directed by Prithviraj himself. This is his second outing as a director after the 2019 film Lucifer, which also had Mohanlal in the lead. But that was a crime thriller, while this is a family comedy. The promos have all projected the film as a light-heart joy ride involving a son and an age-less dad. Prithviraj and Mohanlal play the son-dad combo, their natural chemistry seems most enjoyable.

For, Prithviraj this is his fourth straight direct OTT release after Cold Case, Kurthi and Brahmam. It is doubtful if any other leading star in India has had such continuous releases directly on the OTT. Kudos to Prithviraj for steadfastly bestowing his confidence on the emerging medium. 

The film is produced by Antony Perumbavoor, who has a slew of Mohanlal starrers getting ready for release. As it happens, Antony is also plating a cop role in Bro Daddy.

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