Amazon lines up summer of Indian cinema
James R | On 28, May 2020
Seven highly anticipated Indian movies will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in the coming months.
The online giant is making major steps into Bollywood territory, acquiring the global rights to Shoojit Sircar’s dramedy Gulabo Sitabo, starring Amitabh Bachchan (Black, Piku) and Ayushmann Khurrana (Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan, Andhadhun). That film arrives directly on Amazon Prime Video on 12th June, and leads a wave of six more Indian movies heading to the streaming service.
Spanning five Indian languages, the line-up features Anu Menon’s Shakuntala Devi with Vidya Balan (Dirty Picture, Kahaani), legal drama Ponmagal Vandhal starring Jyothika (Chandramukhi) in addition to Penguin (Tamil and Telugu), starring Keerthy Suresh (Mahanathie), Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam), Law (Kannada) and French Biryani (Kannada).
“At Prime Video we believe in listening to what our consumers want and working backwards from there. This belief is the genesis of our latest offering,” says Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India. “Over the last 2 years, Prime Video has become the destination of choice for our customers to watch new releases, across the languages, within weeks of their theatrical release. Now we’re taking this one step further, with seven of India’s most-anticipated films premiering exclusively on Prime Video, bringing the cinematic experience to their doorstep.”
“Indian audiences have been eagerly awaiting the release of these films and we are delighted that Amazon Prime Video will now be premiering these movies for our customers – who can enjoy watching these from the safety & comfort of their homes and on a screen of their choice,” comments Gaurav Gandhi, Director and Country General Manager, Amazon Prime Video India.
The new releases will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalogue. These include Indian-produced Amazon Original series like Four More Shots Please!, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven.
Here’s the line-up:
Ponmagal Vandhal (Tamil) – 29th May
Starring Jyothika, Parthiban, Bhagyaraj, Prathap Pothen and Pandiarajan, Ponmagal Vandhal is a legal drama. The movie is written and directed by J.J. Fredrick and produced by Suriya and Rajsekar Karpoorasundarapandian.
Gulabo Sitabo (Hindi) – 12th June
Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, Gulabo Sitabo is a quirky family comedy depicting day to day struggles of the common man. The movie is written by Juhi Chaturvedi, directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar.
Penguin (Tamil and Telugu) – 19th June
Starring Keerthy Suresh, Penguin is written and directed by Eshavar Karthic. The film is produced by Stone Bench Films and Karthik Subbaraj.
Law (Kannada) – 26th June
Starring Ragini Chandran, Siri Prahlad and veteran actor Mukhyamantri Chandru, Law is written and directed by Raghu Samarth and produced by Ashwini and Puneeth Rajkumar.
French Biryani (Kannada) – 24th July
French Biryani features actors Danish Sait, Sal Yusuf and Pitobash as leads. The movie is written by Avinash Balekkala, directed by Pannaga Bharana and produced by Ashwini and Puneeth Rajkumar and Gurudutt A Talwar.
Shakuntala Devi (Hindi) – Date TBC
Featuring Vidya Balan in the lead, Shakuntala Devi is a biographical drama on the extraordinary life of Shakuntala Devi, mathematics genius, writer and astrologer who was popularly known as the human computer. Also featuring Sanya Malhotra and Directed by Anu Menon, the film is produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions and Vikram Malhotra.
Sufiyum Sujatayum (Malayalam) – Date TBC
Starring Aditi Rao Hydari and Jayasuruya, Soofiyum Sujatayum is written and directed by Naranipuzha Shanavas and produced by Vijay Babu’s Friday Film House
Gulabo Sitabo is available to watch online on Amazon Prime Video as part of a Prime membership or a £5.99 monthly subscription.