Between Greta Gerwig’s wild live-action meta-comedy Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s epic historical drama Oppenheimer, Hollywood film fans are spoiled for choice this July. The widely different genres of the two films, the anticipation surrounding both, and the decision to release them on the same day (July 21) have tickled many a funny bone, with the internet even christening the face-off ‘Barbenheimer’.
But besides these two Hollywood biggies, there is much more to look forward to in India’s cinemas this July — some more exciting than others. Here are seven films, across industries and languages, that we can’t wait to catch in theatres this month.
Mari Selvaraj’s Maamannan was released in theatres on June 29, but if box office indications are anything to go by, the stirringly political film starring Udhayanidhi Stalin, Vadivelu, Keerthi Suresh, and Fahadh Faasil still has a long run ahead of it in July. The Tamil language film follows the story of lowered caste MLA Maamannan (Vadivelu) and his son Veeran, with a narrative firmly centred around caste atrocities and the social injustices practised within the supposedly progressive parties of Tamil Nadu.
Maamannan has garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success since its release. In her review for TNM, Bharathy Singaravel said that with Maamannan, Mari is delivering yet another film that will redefine how Kollywood talks about caste. The Telugu-dubbed version of the film, titled Nayakudu, is also set to be released on July 14.
Besides, this may also be the last time fans of Udhayanidhi get to watch him on the big screen since the DMK heir-apparent has announced that he is retiring from acting to pursue a full-time political career.
Renowned playwright Celine Song’s debut film Past Lives, which has for months been winning awards and accolades left and right in festival circuits, is finally reaching theatres in India on July 7. The film tells the tender and melancholic tale of two childhood friends in Korea, who separate as one of them has to migrate to the US. They reunite after 20 years, and soon, forgotten feelings resurface.
The film, starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro is produced by popular independent entertainment company A24, and is a love triangle at its surface. But dig deeper, and the film will unravel for you the nuanced mind of a young Korean woman, who is struggling to rid herself of the chains from her past and present. Past Lives, which subtly explores the space occupied by the complexities of race, ethnicity, and language in romantic love, is also said to be a quasi-autobiographical account of a phase in Celine Song’s own life.
Kunchacko Boban acts opposite three women actors – Aparna Balamurali, Madonna Sebastian, and Vincy Aloshious – in this romantic comedy. The film, which is about an embarrassing situation that Kunchacko's character lands in, is directed by Senna Hegde, who had won significant acclaim for his 2021 direct-to-OTT film Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam.
In an interview with The Hindu, Senna Hegde called Padmini “an entertainer with a surprise”. Considering the filmmaker’s track record of impressive films such as Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam and 1744 White Alto, fans have all the more reason to be excited. Kunchacko plays a college lecturer who is also a poet in Padmini, the script of which was written by Deepu Pradeep. Other actors include Althaf Salim, Seema G Nair, Ganapathi, and Anand Manmadhan.
The film, which was expected to release on July 7, was postponed due to heavy rains in Kerala. Though the makers are yet to announce a new release date, here’s hoping the film will hit theatres in the next few weeks.
In Barbie’s picture-perfect Barbieland, the Barbies are “everything”, the men are “just Ken”, and life comes in different hues of pink. But as Barbie (Margot Robbie) suffers from an existential crisis and ventures out of her dreamy home, with a deep-in-love Ken (Ryan Gosling) in tow, she soon realises that the real world is vastly different from the safe haven they are used to. Director Greta Gerwig has indicated in her interviews that the film will take Barbie on an emotional and intellectual journey through inequitable power structures and gendered realities.
Of course, if a self-aware and tongue-in-cheek feminist live-action feature of Mattel’s notoriously ‘perfect’ doll is in the offing, it is most likely safe in the hands of Greta, most known for her terrific 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. With Barbie set to release on July 21, the film seems to be gradually painting the world pink, memes and merch abound, leaving little else for the internet to talk about.
The name Christopher Nolan typically evokes the idea of a film with an intensely convoluted plot, likely dealing with time, incredible action sequences, an ostentatious music score, and such. His latest, Oppenheimer, however, has so far indicated a turnaround from this legacy, leaving the auteur’s dedicated fanbase all the more pumped. The star-studded cast of Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon among others, has definitely helped amp up the excitement.
The big-budget biographical thriller follows theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, known as ‘the father of the atomic bomb’ due to his contributions towards developing the first nuclear weapons during World War II. The film has primarily been adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin. In an interview with Wired, Nolan called the film an “intense experience”, adding that some people who caught the early screenings left the theatre “absolutely devastated”. The filmmaker’s comments, of course, have only served to amplify the anticipation surrounding the film.
Oppenheimer is set to hit theatres on July 21. With a run time of three hours, the film is Nolan’s longest to date.
When they came out with a series of out-of-the-box and hilarious promotional videos featuring popular Kannada stars such as Puneeth Rajkumar, Kiccha Sudeep, Rakshit Shetty, Rishab Shetty, and Ramya, the makers of Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare were clearly determined to grab some eyeballs. Rest assured, they have succeeded and how. As Nithin Krishnamurthy’s debut directorial venture is all set to hit cinemas on July 21, the film is definitely the talk of the town, with some fans hoping that it would break the supposed monotony Kannada cinema is experiencing at the moment.
A comedy drama set against the backdrop of a boys’ hostel, the cast of Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare apparently features up to 100 artistes and several extras. Rakshit Shetty’s Paramvah Pictures is presenting the film, and rumours have it that Rishab Shetty, Pawan Kumar, Diganth, and Shine Shetty will appear in cameos in the film, lending further cause for excitement.
Karan Johar has long expressed his desire to return to making films in the genre of love extravaganza, a tried-and-tested formula that once used to charm Bollywood and beyond. Of course, it remains to be seen if the audience still has a taste for the format, but Karan seems genuinely happy having made Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, a gaudy and colourful family drama headlined by Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh — a film right up his alley. As has always been the case, the film also boasts a massive star cast, comprising veteran actors such as Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi, and Jaya Bachchan.
Though criticisms abound for the film even before its release, with many finding fault in the ‘chemistry’ between the lead actors in the grandiose love story, several diehard Bollywood fans are waiting with bated breath to see Karan finally return to his form. This is the kind of film that made Karan Johar a brand, and this is what he does best, they assert.
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is set to hit theatres on July 21.
Starring actors Pawan Kalyan and his nephew Sai Dharam Tej, upcoming Telugu film Bro is a remake of Samuthirakani’s 2021 Tamil fantasy film Vinodhaya Sitham. The film follows the story of an arrogant and self-centered man (Sai Tej) who dies in a tragic accident, only for god (Pawan Kalyan) to appear before him and give him a second chance to correct his mistakes. The uncle-nephew pairing at Bro’s centre, the film’s fantasy elements, and Samuthirakani’s reputation as a director have all contributed to the intense buzz surrounding the film, which is slated to release on July 28.
Samuthirakani, who is directing the Telugu film as well, seems to have used the rise in the budget to his advantage, incorporating additional elements of magical realism to the film’s scope. Not many details are available on whether the filmmaker has made further changes to the story. The film, which aims to espouse a philosophical message, also stars Ketika Sharma and Priya Prakash Varrier.