Varun Dhawan's October, Prabhu Deva's Mercury, Dwayne Johnson's Rampage: Know Your Releases

This week, cinegoers will have a rather eclectic mix of films — in Hindi, Tamil and English — hitting the screens across the country. Each of these films belong to diverse cinematic genre — drama/romance (October), silent horror/thriller (Mercury), and fantasy/science-fiction (Rampage). While October is the only Bollywood release this Friday (13 April), Rampage is expected to be a big draw as the only Hollywood movie releasing this week. October

What’s it about: Varun Dhawan plays Dan, a carefree 21 year old who is a hotel intern along with Shiuli, played by Banita Sandhu. Shiuli often finds herself at the receiving end of Dan’s audaciousness, but a sudden turn of events brings Dan and Shiuli’s lives together into a bond that’s unlike anyone’s their age. The emotional connection between them brings out a form of love that eventually leads to an internal awakening. Who is in it: Varun Dhawan, Banita Sandhu, Gitanjali Rao. Why it may work: The movie has received much hype for Varun Dhawan’s earnest performance and for the subtlety and nuance of the storytelling. Juhi Chaturvedi, who has earlier written Vicky Donor, Madras Cafe and Piku, has also penned down the story for October, and with the reputation that the writer has built through her endearing writing will pique people’s interest in the movie. October has been directed by Soojit Sircar. Mercury

What’s it about: A silent movie, Mercury is about five longtime friends maimed by mercury poisoning who come together for a high-school reunion. Things take a turn for the worse when the whole reunion turns into nonstop terror. Who is in it: Prabhu Deva, Sananth Reddy, Deepak Paramesh, Shashank Purushotham, Anish Padmanabhan, Indhuja, and Gajaraj. Why it may work: As the sole major regional release this week, Mercury could get audiences interested enough to go and watch the movie. It’s banking on its plot and the concept of being a silent thriller — a first in many years — for attracting audiences. Mercury has been directed by Karthik Subbaraj.. Rampage

What’s it about: Primatologist Davis Okoye shares an unshakable bond with an extraordinarily intelligent gorilla who has been in his care since birth. When a rogue genetic experiment transforms this gentle ape into a raging monster, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to halt a global catastrophe and to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend. Who is in it: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Naomie Harris, Malin Åkerman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jake Lacy, Joe Manganiello, Marley Shelton, P. J. Byrne, Demetrius Grosse, Jack Quaid. Why it may work: Being a science-fiction fantasy movie, a genre very much in the in right now, will help Rampage gain a huge audience. Also, the movie stars the hugely popular actor Dwayne Johnson, who has been on a blockbuster spree with recent movies like Moana, The Fate of the Furious, Baywatch and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle under his belt, will surely propel the numbers for Rampage. Rampage has been directed by Brad Peyton.