Sony Pictures Films India announces slate of over 17 Indian and Hollywood releases

By PTI

MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Films India is set to have around 17 releases over the next one year, including Bollywood and Hollywood biggies like the Taapsee Pannu starrer “Looop Lapeta”, Mahesh Babu’s “Major”, superhero film “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and ” ‘Venom 2- Let There Be Carnage”, the studio announced on Monday.

The studio, which recently released writer-director Rensil D’Silva’s “Dial 100” and Satramm Ramani’s comedy “Helmet”, will launch four new directors this year, it said in a statement. They will release Balwinder Singh Janjua’s (writer of ‘Saand Ki Aankh’ and ‘Mubarakan’) directorial debut, “Tera Kya Hoga Lovely”, starring Ileana D’Cruz and Randeep Hooda.

Billed as a rib-tickling comedy that “grapples with India’s unrelenting obsession with fair skin”, the film is set in the backdrop of Haryana and chronicles the story of a dusky girl tamed by prejudices and biases held by the society against dark skin.

The film is written by Janjua, Rupinder Chahal and Anil Rodhan. “Looop Lapeta” is directed by ad filmmaker Aakash Bhatia and also stars Tahir Raj Bhasin. The film is the official adaptation of the German film “Run Lola Run” and is produced by Sony Pictures Films India, Tanuj Garg, Atul Kasbekar, and Aayush Maheshwari.

“Looop Lapeta” is written by Vinay Chhawal, Ketan Pedgaonkar and Aakash Bhatia. The studio has also joined hands with filmmaker Ram Madhvani with Amita Madhvani’s Ram Madhvani Films (RMF) for a big-screen underwater thriller “Dive”. The film is written by Renuka Kunzru. Well-known ad filmmaker Nitin Parmar will make his directorial debut with RMF.

The studio will also release “Saale Aashiq”, which marks the directorial debut of writer duo Siddharth -Garima. “Saale Aashiq” is a “unique take on honour killings and is a romance-drama that is young, raw and thrilling,” the release said.

Among the films by seasoned directors is the Sabbir Khan directorial, “Nikamma”. The action drama stars Abhimanyu, Shirley Setia and Shilpa Shetty. The film is produced by Sony Pictures Films India and Sabbir Khan Films.

Director Umesh Shukla has come on board to helm “Aankh Micholi”. Billed as a family entertainer, the film stars Abhimanyu, Mrunal Thakur, Paresh Rawal, Sharman Joshi, Abhishek Banerjee, Vijay Raaz, Divya Dutta, Darshan Jariwala and Grusha Kapoor.

The studio also has “Major”, a film based on the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan who was martyred during the 26/11 attacks. Directed by Shashi Kiran Tikka, the film stars Adivi Sesh in the lead role along with Sobhita Dhulipala, Saiee Manjrekar, Prakash Raj and Revathi.

Produced by Sony Pictures Films India, Mahesh Babu’s GMB Entertainment and A+S Movies, the bilingual film has been shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi and will also be released in Malayalam.

Sony Pictures’ Hollywood offerings include one of the most anticipated films of the year, “Spider-Man: No Way Home”. The film is directed by Jon Watts and stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch and will release worldwide on December 17, 2021.

The studio will also release “Venom 2- Let There Be Carnage”, the second offering from the franchise. With the film, Tom Hardy returns to the big screen as the lethal protector Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, the statement read.

Directed by Andy Serkis, the film also stars Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris and Woody Harrelson, in the role of the villain Cletus Kasady/Carnage. “Venom 2” will hit Indian cinemas on October 15, 2021.

Other Hollywood releases include Rodo Sayagues’ “Don’t Breathe 2” starring Stephen Lang, “Escape Room 2: Tournament of Champions”, Jason Reitman’s supernatural comedy “Ghostbusters – Afterlife” featuring Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd.

The studio also has “Uncharted”, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg. The film, based on one of the best-selling and critically acclaimed video game series of all time, tells the story of Nathan Drake and his first adventure with rival-turned-partner Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan. Directed by Ruben Fleischer, the cast also includes Antonio Banderas, Sophia Ali and Tati Gabrielle.

Apart from these, Sony Pictures Films India will also release superhero film “Morbius”, directed by Daniel Espinosa. “One of Marvel’s most compelling and conflicted characters comes to the big screen as Oscar winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero, Michael Morbius.

Filmmaker Johannes Roberts directed “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” will also be in the offering, along with Patrick Hughes’ action comedy “The Man From Toronto”, “Bullet Train” directed by “Atomic Blonde” and “Deadpool 2” helmer David Leitch and starring Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Joey King.