Pongal, Makar Sakranti, Lohri 2021: Master, Tandav, WandaVision, Bhoomi — films to catch during this festive week

The first festival week of 2021 is upon us, and like the good samaritans we are, we’ve compiled a list of films you can watch during the Pongal/ Lohri/ Sankranti festivals. Tamil Master

Vijay’s  Master will release in theatres on 13 January, on the occasion of Pongal, the makers had  announced via a new poster from the film. According to the posters, Master will simultaneously be released in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. In the film, Vijay will be seen playing a college professor with a heavy drinking habit. It also stars Vijay Sethupathi,  Antony Varghese ( Angamaly Diaries),  Malavika Mohanan, Andrea (Vishwaroopam), Ramya Subramanian, Gauri Kishan ( 96), Brigada, Lintu Rony, Soundarya Nandakumar, Shanthanu, Chetan, Srinath, Sriman, and Alagam Perumal. Bhoomi

Jayam Ravi’s Bhoomi will premiere on streamer Disney+ Hotstar during the festival of Pongal in January 2021. The movie reunites the actor with filmmaker Lakshman after their two successful movies — Romeo Juliet (2015) and Bogan (2017). Bhoomi also stars Nidhhi Agerwal, Sakshi Dwivedi, Ronit Roy and Saranya Ponvannan, among others. Eeswaran

Simbu’s Eeswaran will be out in theatres on 14 January. The filmmakers had initially decided to release the movie on a Premium Video-On-Demand basis with a platform called Olyflix. However, following concerns over piracy and its impact on the box office figure from Tamil Nadu Theater Owners, the makers have now opted out of the deal with Olyflix. Telugu Red

Red, starring Ram Pothineni in the lead, releases on 14 January. Nivetha Pethuraj, Malavika Sharma and Amritha Iyer also feature in the movie. Pothineni will again be seen in a double role after iSmart Shankar. Initially scheduled release in April 2020, the film was postponed in light of the coronavirus pandemic. It is the remake of the Tamil movie Thadam and has been directed by Kishore Tirumala. Hindi Tribhanga

Netflix’s Tribhanga: Tedhi Medhi Crazy is slated to release on 15 January. The film is described as a heartwarming storyline that looks at the importance of family in everyday lives. According to Renuka Shahane, who had directed the film, it explores dysfunctional family dynamics through three “fascinating” women of different generations and personalities. Also written by Shahane, the film stars Tanvi Azmi as matriarch Nayan, a critically acclaimed Marathi litterateur; Kajol as her daughter Anu, a renowned classical dancer and actor; and granddaughter Masha played by Mithila Palkar. The family drama also stars Kunaal Roy Kapur, Kanwaljeet Singh, Manav Gohil and Vaibhav Tatwawaadi. Tandav

Saif Ali Khan’s  Tandav, scheduled to start streaming on Amazon Prime Video on 15 January, aims to take viewers inside the closed, chaotic corridors of power and uncover the manipulations, charades as well as dark secrets of people who will go to any lengths in pursuit of power. Created and directed by filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar, the nine-part political drama features an ensemble cast also comprising Dimple Kapadia, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Kumud Mishra, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, Dino Morea, Sunil Grover, Gauahar Khan, Amyra Dastur, Kritika Kamra, Sarah Jane Dias, Sandhya Mridul, Anup Soni, Hitten Tejwani, Paresh Pahuja and Shonali Nagrani. English One Night in Miami

Also releasing on 15 January on Amazon Prime Video, One Night in Miami, is an adaptation of Kemp Powers’ 2013 stage play which finds iconic historical figures: young boxer Cassius Clay, activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and football star Jim Brown hanging out together at a Miami motel. One Night in Miami marks the directorial debut of Oscar winner Regina King. Powers has also written the screenplay for the film which features Kingsley Ben-Adir stars as Malcolm X, Eli Goree as Cassius Clay, Aldis Hodge as Jim Brown, and Leslie Odom Jr as Sam Cooke. WandaVision

Slated to stream from 15 January on Disney+ Hotstar, WandaVision is the first project from MCU to come out since the record-breaking success of Avengers: Endgame in 2019. WandaVision marks the return of actor Elisabeth Olsen as Scarlett Witch aka Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany’s super-powered android Vision. Captain Marvel and Black Widow writer Jac Schaeffer has penned the show. Kat Dennings will reprise her role of Darcy Lewis, tech-savvy assistant to scientist Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman) from the Thor movies and Randall Park will return as Jimmy Woo, the FBI agent in Ant-Man and the Wasp. The show charts Vision’s journey “as he makes the ultimate sacrifice for mankind, leaving those he loved to an uncertain future.”