Unusual cinematic experiences to look forward to in 2021  

MUMBAI:  It is not just the big ticket entertainers but evocative OTT content and middle-of-the-road, genre busters that will entertain audiences in the year ahead  

As the film industry leaves behind 2020 and steps into 2021, it hopes to see big ticket releases and even bigger audiences back in theatres. But alongside, there will also be engaging OTT content and middle-of-the-road films that will defy predictions and win over the audience with their unpredictability and freshness. Here is an overview of a few of such eagerly awaited films in the coming year.

The White Tiger 

One of the most eagerly awaited Netflix productions of 2021 is 'The White Tiger', an upcoming drama directed by Ramin Bahrani and adapted from Aravind Adiga's 2008 acclaimed novel of the same name. The film stars Adarsh Gourav in his first lead role, with Rajkummar Rao and Priyanka Chopra Jonas playing pivotal parts.
The film is a searing statement on social inequality, ambition and the ever expanding distance between the privileged and the deprived.

Zombivli 
 
Produced by Yoodlee Films, Zombivli is an upcoming Marathi movie -the first of its kind in the horror comedy genre with zombies. It stars Amey Wagh, Vaidehi Parshurami and Lalit Prabhakar in prominent roles and is directed by Aditya Sarpotdar. The story revolves around a young married couple in a posh apartment complex in Dombivli. Just across their home, a mysterious disease is spreading in the impoverished slums and turning residents into bloodthirsty zombies. Beneath the obvious horror of the premise is a deeper narrative of class conflict. With the first teaser poster already making waves in the circuit,  audiences are gearing upto see  if in 2021, the blood-thirsty zombies will take over Dombivli and finally turn it into Zombivli! 

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui 

Directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by T-Series and Guy in the Sky Pictures, this film stars the breakout star of genre defying cinema, Ayushmann Khurrana along with Vaani Kapoor. Khurana plays a cross-functional athlete and is particularly close to the milieu depicted in the film as he himself hails from Chandigarh. Kapoor who hit gold with hits like 'Rock On!,' 'Kai Po Che' and 'Kedarnath' hopes to score big once again with this story about small-town aspirations.      

Chote Nawab 

Produced by Yoodlee Films, 'Chote Nawab' has already won the best feature film award at The Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati. Its protagonist is a 13-year-old boy Junaid who visits his ancestral Nawabi Haveli in Lucknow, during a family wedding. The coming of age story shows how the boy who was born and raised in the UK, deals with a new milieu, and begins to defy his overbearing relatives and oppressive  patriarchal patterns. The film is directed by  Kumud Chaudhary.