CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
Release date: 6 May
The movie is a sequel to the previous movies of the American superhero Captain America. It also follows the story of the last avengers outing in the film Avengers: The age of Ultron. However, in this movie, one will have to choose sides between the ‘Cap’ and Iron Man, as the Avengers are divided into two factions. The star cast includes Chris Evans (Captain America, duh!), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye).
NW predict-o-meter: We expect the devotees of Marvel Studios to accept the movie. At least we know we can’t wait for the release date to catch the first day, first show.
AZHAR
Release date: 13 May
Azhar is about the much publicised and controversial events from the life of former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin. The film revolves around the cricketer’s rise to popularity, his records, some of which are unbroken even today, and his embroilment in a match-fixing controversy. Emran Hashmi plays the titular role, Prachi Desai portrays the role of Azhar’s first wife and Nargis Fakhri does the role of his second wife Sangeeta Bijlani.
NW predict-o-meter: Sport-centric movies always have takers and we are definitely looking forward to watching this movie. But we do hope the movie details out the controversy surrounding a living legend, which came in a never-seen-before magnitude in the gentleman’s game.
SARBJIT
Release date: 20 May
This is another biopic by Omung Kumar, the man behind the hit sports biopic Mary Kom. With a strong star cast—Randeep Hooda playing Sarbjit Singh, Aishwarya Rai playing his sister Dalbir Kaur and Richa Chadda and Darshan Kumar—the movie talks about the life of Sarbjit. He was a prisoner of Indian origin in a Pakistani jail, who died there after spending 22 years in prison. The film, which will also be screened at the Cannes Film Festival this year, is narrated through the perspective of the prisoner’s sister.
NW predict-o-meter: The trailer seems impressive and we are looking forward to some power-packed performances by the actors.
SHADES AND LIGHT
The seventh edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival will be held this month. The theme of the year is ‘7 Shades of Love’, which has an underlined message about the capacity of humans to love each other and offer respect so that each can live with equality and dignity. This year the core committee of KASHISH Arts Foundation will supposedly confer the award to Saleem Kidwai and Ruth Vanita for their pathbreaking work in the area of LGBT literature and history.
When: 25–29 May
Where: Liberty Cinema and Alliance Francaise de Bombay, Marine Lines, Mumbai
DRAMA DIARIES
EPIC STORY
Our favourite Lord Krishna, Nitish Bhardwaj, comes back in the avatar after 25 years, through Atul Satya Koushik’s Chakravyuh. The Films and Theatre Society of Delhi brings Chakravyuh to Bengaluru in the traditional form of storytelling, which is text-driven and missing from the contemporary form of theatre. The actors will sing the story on their own even as they create a deadly war-scene onstage. A total value for money for the audience, we’d say.
When: 6 May, 7 pm onwards
Where: Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleswaram, Bengaluru
BACK TO FAIRY TALES
The Broadway-style hit musical by Disney India Beauty and the Beast comes to Mumbai and Delhi, live. The cast includes actors Edwin Joseph, Meher Mistry, Varun Narayan, Hitesh Malukani, Nisa Shetty, Kyla D’Souza, Sanjiv Desai, Anil Chandiramani, Prashanth Oliver and Medha Sahi. This local production, which is fully created in the country, boasts world-class sets, extravagant costumes and breathtaking performances, making it a must-watch.
When: 6–15 May; 2.30 pm and 7.30 pm
Where: NSCI, Worli, Mumbai
MUSIC MANIA
MOUNTAIN RANGE OF MUSIC
The third edition of the Himalayan Music Festival is here and calling out to all psy-trance music lovers across the globe. The festival boasts of a unique concept of bringing people together by promoting music, culture and arts, reaching out to their individual responsibilities. The artists who will perform this year are Audiogramme, Braindrop, Loose, Psytronic, Pulse, StarLab, Spiritual Demons, Vial, etc.
When: 7 May; 12 pm
Where: Great Himalayan Resort, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh
REMEMBERING THE LEGEND
‘Dhamaal of Kishore Kumar’ is a tribute to the versatile artist of the Indian cinema. The evening will have performances by Alok Katdare, Rakesh Kansara, Madhura Deshpande and Reshma Patel, rendering some evergreen songs by the singer actor Kishoreda.
When: 19 May; 8.30 pm onwards
Where: Dinanath Mangeshkar Natya Griha Hall, Mumbai
