Entertainment
Salaar: Part 1: The Ceasefire Review: Prashanth Neel Scripts A Worthy Comeback Film For Prabhas Despite The Cliched Trappings

Director: Prashanth Neel
Cast: Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan, Jagapathi Babu, Sriya Reddy, Easwari Rao, Bobby Simha, Tinnu Anand
Where: In theatres near you
Rating: 3 stars
The stakes are undeniably high for everyone involved in Salaar: Part 1: The Ceasefire. Filmmaker Prashanth Neel, having set a formidable standard with the monumental success of the K.G.F. franchise, understands the imperative of maintaining the expectations of his audience. Additionally, lead actor Prabhas, having transcended his status as Telugu cinema’s Darling Rebel Star to become a Pan-Indian superstar, seeks a much-needed hit after a string of disappointments with Saaho, Radhe Shyam, and Adipurush. Meanwhile, Prithviraj Sukumaran, a trailblazer in Malayalam cinema, has long embraced the foresight of exploring diverse content in various Indian languages, both as an actor and a producer. Moreover, an inevitable showdown with a reigning global superstar at the box office, this weekend, has only intensified the intrigue around the film’s release. Does the film deliver or does it crumble under the weight of expectations, let’s figure.
Salaar: Part 1: The Ceasefire unfolds the narrative of Deva (Prabhas) and Vardharaja Mannar’s (Prithviraj) friendship in the fictional town of Khansaar. Their camaraderie takes a tumultuous turn when political circumstances transform them into bitter rivals, compelling Deva to depart from the city along with his mother. Several years later, as Aadhya (Shruti Haasan) returns to India from the US, she becomes the target of Mannar’s extended family. It falls upon Deva to uphold and protect her, presenting an opportunity for the estranged friends to reunite for a cause that will reshape the destiny of Khansaar.
Neel draws inspiration from Game of Thrones, Baahubali, and his own 2014 Kannada debut, Ugramm, to craft a project that aligns seamlessly with the commanding presence of his main leads. While the screenplay could have benefited with tighter editing, given the filmmaker’s penchant for establishing Prabhas’ on-screen persona, the extended shots of the actor may become overwhelming for the audience after a certain point. Ravi Basrur’s musical composition, while not reaching the exceptional heights as observed in Neel’s K.G.F., nevertheless contributes effectively to the stylishly choreographed action sequences in the film, with his background score. Bhuvan Gowda’s cinematography and T.L. Venkatachalapathi’s skillful production design collaborate seamlessly to enable Neel in providing an exceptional world-building experience, particularly in the way Khansaar is designed. It’s a city that spells doom and dread.
Without the finely orchestrated action sequences by Anbarivu, Salaar might risk becoming a rather dull affair. The action director skillfully uses the impressive physiques of Prabhas and Prithviraj, creating exhilarating action moments that are worth cherishing at the theatres. Examining the film solely based on its script, the premise appears, quite frankly, outdated and redundant.
Salaar succeeds due to the commendable performances of both Prabhas and Prithviraj. Prabhas, openly acknowledging his own laziness in past interviews, benefits from a capable director like Neel, whose vision effectively brings out at least the bare minimum effort from the actor on screen. The man can now witness the spell of failure being broken. He exercises pain and power, in equal measure Yet, from a personal perspective, I would prefer to commend Prithviraj’s performance. He is restrained yet effective. Shruti has minimal screentime, and it remains interesting to see whether she will play a more substantial role in the subsequent films of the Salaar franchise. Jagapathi Babu, portraying Raja Mannaar, has a restricted on-screen presence, yet his effectiveness is notable. Bobby Simha performs commendably in his limited role as Vardha’s brother-in-law Bhaarava. Sriya Reddy and Easwari Rao deliver fine performances in their pivotal roles as Radha Rama and Deva’s mother.
With Salaar Part 1: The Ceasefire, Neel scripts a much-needed comeback vehicle for his leading man. Never mind the cliches though.
Bollywood
Makers of Vijay-starrer ‘Sachien’ release new trailer ahead of film’s re-release

Chennai, April 14: The makers of the Tamil superhit film ‘Sachein’, featuring actors Vijay and Genelia D’souza in the lead, on the occasion of the Tamil New Year’s Day on Monday released a new trailer for the film.
The film is to be re-released in theatres on April 18 as part of celebrations to mark the film’s completion of 20 years.
Taking to his X timeline, Kalaipuli S Thanu, the producer who first made the film 20 years ago in 2005, shared the link to the new trailer and wrote, “Sachein trailer out now! #Sachein Grand theatrical release on April 18th.”
The announcement was greeted with joy by fans and film buffs.
In fact, the film’s leading lady actress Genelia D’ Souza too had reacted to this announcement and had said that the film always has her heart.
Quoting an announcement by the producer of the film, Kalaippuli S Thanu, Genelia wrote, “Sachein – Has my heart always” on her X timeline.
Thanu responded to Genelia’s tweet, saying, “Thank you!”
The film was a huge superhit when it first released in 2005. Apart from Genelia who played the lead, the film also featured Bollywood actress Bipashu Basu. Bipasha played the second heroine in this film. Interestingly, ‘Sachein’ marked Bipasha Basu’s Tamil debut.
The film, which was directed by John Mahendran, was a rom-com that revolved around the titular character Sachein played by Vijay and his lady love, Shalini (played by Genelia). The film emerged a superhit making four times the money that was invested on it.
Apart from Vijay, Genelia and Bipasha Basu, the film also had some very versatile actors like the late Raghuvaran, Vadivelu and Santhanam among others.
The film’s cinematography, which was one of its highlights, was by Jeeva and its editing was by V T Vijayan.
Devi Sri Prasad, who scored music for the film, delivered six songs for the film, with five of them going on to become chartbusters. Interestingly, Vijay had rendered one of the songs himself. The peppy number, ‘Vaadi Vaadi’, which had lyrics by V Elango, was picturised on him and comedian Vadivelu.
Bollywood
Aadesh Chaudhary shares his show ‘The H Files’ will present health facts with a detective twist

Mumbai, April 10: Actor Aadesh Chaudhary is all set to bring something fresh to the small screen with his upcoming show ‘The H Files.’
The show aims to present health-related facts through an engaging detective-style narrative — a concept rarely explored in Indian television. Set to premiere on Bottoms Up Studios’ YouTube channel, the show explores intriguing health-related mysteries through a captivating investigative format unlike anything seen before.
Speaking about the show, Aadesh shared, “In today’s time, maintaining good health has become crucial, and the concept of The H Files sounded very interesting. There’s a lot of misinformation on the internet, so my friend and producer Kunal who also owns Clink Communication and Bottoms Up Studios—and I came up with this idea to present it through The H Files, blending acting with meaningful information.”
Talking about his role in this health-focused show, the actor revealed that he is playing a detective who investigates different cases and shares that knowledge with people. “Nobody has ever presented health-related facts in a detective style before—so The H Files will be an unexpected and exciting watch.”
The ‘Sasural Simar Ka’ actor added, “Anything shown creatively, people enjoy. Audiences will love this. They need to be aware of their health and the things they’re missing. This won’t be your typical detective show. Today, people want both entertainment and useful information,” Aadesh says. “The H Files is my way of mixing both fun and facts. It’s like a mystery show where the real villain is lack of awareness, and the hero is health. So, get ready to uncover the truth.”
On a related note, “The H Files” is produced by Kunal Garud and co-produced by Dalljiet Kaur. New episodes will be released every Tuesday and Thursday, with the first episode premiering on April 10.
Speaking of Aadesh Chaudhary, he is well known for his performances in popular shows such as “Sasural Simar Ka,” “Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai,” and “Laal Ishq.”
Bollywood
Karan Patel talks about failure of his film, why he won’t do ‘Bigg Boss’

Mumbai, April 8: Popular television actor Karan Patel, known for his work in shows such as Kasturi, and Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, agreed that the timing of the release of his 2023 film Daaran Chhoo was not right, which contributed to the film’s failure at the box-office. He also revealed why he would not be able to participate in the controversial reality show Bigg Boss, hosted by Salman Khan.
Speaking on Bharti Singh and Harssh Limbachiyaa’s podcast about “Bigg Boss”, Karan said: “Bigg Boss is not meant for me. I won’t be able to do it. What happens is the contestant may be inside but the people outside get uncomfortable because how patient can one be in three months. You will never see me inside. If a person like Hiten Tejwani can get angry inside the house then think about it…. Even Salman Khan told him ‘that you are very sweet, this show is not made for you’.”
He added: “If Bigg Boss was Bigg Boss from four-five years ago and it was about them and their lives then the audiences would be interested to watch them. Now, they have brought commoners, celebrities, people from every walk of life … I don’t want to see my bhaji wala in the Bigg Boss house…. Also I can’t tolerate misbehaviour and bad talk towards women… And the show is working on this only.”
He then went on to talk about his film ‘Darran Chhoo’, which will be released in 2023. The movie is directed by Bharat Ratan and produced by his mother Minoo Patel and wife Ankita Bhargava Patel.
Karan,who starred in the film, said: “The timing for my film was wrong. We were new producers and when I released muy film Salaar released a week after that and then came Jawaan. It was also the Indian cinema week and all these things we didn’t pay attention to. So, we released the film at the very wrong time.
The day my film was released it was 50 years of Indian cinema and all the old classics were re-released that day. That is why my film didn’t work. Basically our timing was wrong.”
Talking about the booming Indian OTT space, he said, “I am not getting offers, be it good roles or bad roles. Now the OTT space has got spoiled due to too many people doing too many things on it.”
He went on to criticise the digital platform medium and said: “Most of the shows on OTT today have become soft porn for me. If there are no sleazy scenes or love-making scenes in it, it won’t be watched even if it’s not required in the story.”
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