From KGF Chapter 2 to Beast and Mai: Fresh releases of this week on OTT and in theatres

Yash starrer KGF Chapter 2 and Thalapathy Vijay’s Beast, were released theatrically this week. Apart from these, Akshay Kumar starrer Bachchhan Paandey was released on Amazon Prime on April 15. Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii fame Sakshi Tanwar-starrer web series Mai was released on Netflix. Also Read: KGF 2 box office day 1 collection: Yash’s film earns ₹134 crore, Hindi version gets ₹54 crore opening

Beast (Release date: April 13)

Vijay-starrer Beast was released on April 13. Film trade analyst Ramesh Bala took to Twitter to share the worldwide box office collection of the film on Friday. “In 2 days, #Beast has crossed ₹100 cr gross at the WW Box office,” he tweeted.

In the movie, Vijay plays a character called Veeraraghavan, one of the most notorious spies the country has ever had. Filmmaker Selvaraghavan plays the character of a mediator while VTV Ganesh, Sathish and Yogi Babu are seen in supporting roles. Beast features Pooja Hegde opposite Vijay for the first time.

According to Hindustan Times review of the film, “In bits and pieces, Beast lives up to all the pre-release hype. The action sequences, which were highly talked about much before release, stand out and Vijay kills it with his charisma in these scenes. This is Vijay’s most stylish film but it’s also one where the style supersedes substance so much that you can’t enjoy it after a point. If only the stylish treatment was strongly complemented by good writing, especially a stronger antagonist, the film wouldn’t have disappointed at places. As much as Nelson tries to stick to his storytelling template by introducing characters who aid the hero in the rescue mission just like in his last film Doctor; these aren’t as funny and memorable as they were in that film.”

KGF 2 (Release Date: April 14)

Period action drama KGF: Chapter 2, featuring Yash, collected ₹134 crore on its opening day in India. Directed by Prashanth Neel and produced by Hombale Films, the multilingual film released in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi on Thursday. According to a statement, issued by Excel Entertainment, the film has grossed ₹134.36 crore of which ₹63.66 has been earned in the Hindi-speaking market.

KGF: Chapter 2 follows the story of Rocky (Yash), an orphan rising from poverty to become the king of a gold mine. The first film came out in 2018. In addition to Yash, the sequel features Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon and marks Sanjay Dutt’s debut in Kannada films. KGF: Chapter 2 also stars Prakash Raj, Malavika Avinash, Srinidhi Shetty, among others.

According to Hindustan Times review of the film, “Rocking Star Yash returns to screen as the raw and ruthless hero. He exudes machoism, makes bad look stylish. He isn’t your charming men types and doesn’t evoke sympathy even in the emotional scenes. He breathes life into his character and delivers his best. His lines, no matter how weird they sound, invite whistles and cheers and even in the most serious scenes, he triggers some laughter.”

Bachchhan Paandey (Release date: April 15 on Amazon Prime Video)

Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon and Arshad Warsi-starrer Bachchhan Paandey was released on March 18 in theatres. After almost a month, on April 15, the film was released on Amazon Prime Video. The film, which also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, earned ₹37.25 crore during its opening weekend last month.

Directed by Farhad Samji, the action-comedy film is a remake of the Tamil film Jigarthanda that had released in 2014. Bachchhan Paandey, which is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and written by Nischay Kuttanda and Samji, also features Pankaj Tripathi, Prateik Babbar, Abhimanyu Singh, Snehal Daabbi, and Saharsh Kumar Shukla. The film’s story revolves around an aspiring director (Kriti) who wants to make a film on a deadly gangster (Aksshay).

The film didn’t receive a positive response from the public. According to Hindustan Times’ review of the film, “Despite the film’s story not being up to the mark, the pace of the narrative could have helped to some degree, but even there, it falters. The first half entices you with some twists and turns but the screenplay is so dragged in some places, that for a brief period, it becomes a snooze fest.”

Mai (Release Date: April 15 on Netflix)

Television actor Sakshi Tanwar is back with a new project titled Mai, which was released on Netflix on April 15. In Mai, the Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii fame actor essays the role of a middle-class mother who witnesses the death of her daughter by a speeding truck. The tragedy  the mourning mother to uncover the truth about the death of her daughter.

Produced by Karnesh Ssharma of Clean Slate Filmz and directed by Anshai Lal and Atul Mongia, the upcoming project also stars Seema Pahwa, Vivek Mushran, Wamiqa Gabbi, Anant Vidhaat, Raima Sen, Ankur Ratan, Prashant Narayan, and Vaibhav Raj Gupta.