Malang and Shikara in Bollywood to Little Women and Birds of Prey in Hollywood: Know Your Releases

There will be no dearth of films for cinephiles this weekend, with two Bollywood, two Tamil, one Telugu, and two Hollywood movies making its way to the ticketing counters. In Bollywood, the release of Malang and Shikara, two films with extremely different storylines, will coincide at the box office. Hollywood’s offerings include Little Women and Bird of Prey. Jaanu, a remake of Tamil film 96, is the sole Telugu release, and for fans of Tamil films, there is Vaanam Kottattum alongside Seeru.

Malang

What’s it about: Directed by Mohit Suri, Malang is a whodunit with four lead characters. The trailer showcased Aditya as a mysterious character, who, along with his partner Disha, can be seen romancing at pristine beaches, indulging in adventure sports, and enjoying the precarious nightlight life of Goa, when an uncertain tragedy befalls.

Who’s in it: Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani, Kunal Kemmu

Why it may work: This trailer does not give much away, but from the initial looks of it, Malang will keep audience at the edge of their seats.

Shikara

What’s it about: Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s directorial after over a decade follows a Kashmiri Pandit couple Shanti and Shiv Dhar during the mass exodus of the community in 1990.

Who’s in it: Sadia, Aadil Khan

Why it may work: Shikara claims to be based on real events so the film may attract people curious to see a dramatised version of this historical event.

What’s it about: Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel follows the four March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy — in 19th-century New England, in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Who’s in it: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep

Why it may work: The film has already received widespread critical acclaim, and even bagged awards nominations at the Academy Awards , Golden Globes , and BAFTAs .

Birds of Prey

What’s it about: Another film that boasts of a majority female cast shows Harley Quinn as she teams up with Black Canary, the Huntress, and Renee Montoya to save Cassandra Cain from Gotham City crime lord Black Mask.

Who’s in it: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ewan McGregor

Why it may work: The Suicide Squad spin-off focuses solely on Harley Quinn and the gang of girl she deploys. For fans of comic book characters, this will be an ideal choice this Friday.

Jaanu

What’s it about: Jaanu shows high-school sweethearts Ram and Jaanu reunite as adults. The trailer shows how Jaanu seems to have grown out of the puppy love, but Ram’s feelings remain unchanged.

Who’s in it: Samantha Akkineni, Sharwanand

Why it may work: Fans of the lead actors will most likely catch the film in cinemas. The plot involves familiar themes of unrequited love and high school romance, which may strike a chord with a lot of viewers.

Vaanam Kottattum

What’s it about: Produced by Mani Ratnam, and directed by Dhana Sekaran, the film is an intense family drama. The trailer shows how a family tries to move on after the patriarch is imprisoned for a violent crime.

Who’s in it: Vikram Prabhu, Aishwarya Rajesh, Raadhika Sarathkumar, R Sarathkumar

Why it may work: From the looks of the trailer, Vaanam Kottattum seems to have a different yet interesting plot. With Ratnam’s name attached to the project, audience will definitely catch the film.

Seeru

What’s it about: Jiiva plays a no-nonsense vigilante figure of sorts in this film written and directed by Rathnasiva.

Who’s in it: Jiiva, Riya Suman

Why it may work: This film seems to be dedicated to Jiiva, which his fans will definitely like.