Malaal — a remake of the 2004 Tamil romantic comedy 7G Rainbow Colony — is the only new Hindi film releasing in the Chicago area on July 5, 2019. It stars newcomers Sharmin Segal and Meezaan Jaffrey and opens Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles.
After its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Manmarziyaan — known internationally as “Husband Material” — hits Chicago area theaters on September 14, 2018. The romantic drama from director Anurag Kashyap stars Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, and Abhishek Bachchan.
Also new this weekend is the Jackky Bhagnani comedy Mitron, which no one outside of the Bhagnani family is excited about. It opens Friday at the South Barrington 24 and MovieMax Cinemas in Niles.
Stree and Paltan carry over at MovieMax and the South Barrington 24, which also holds over Gold.
Other Indian and Pakistani movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:
Tiger Zinda Hai — the sequel to 2012’s spy thriller Ek Tha Tiger and the last big Bollywood release of the year — hits Chicago area theaters on December 22, 2017. It’s releasing in 300 theaters across North America.
Akshay Kumar takes over the lead role from Arshad Warsi in the comedy sequel Jolly LLB 2, which opens in Chicago area theaters on February 10, 2017. Inconsistent subtitles made the original Jolly LLB incomprehensible for the Hindi illiterate (like me), but I’m confident that won’t be an issue in the followup, which co-stars my girl Huma Qureshi.
Raees carries over for a third week at MovieMax, South Barrington 30, Woodridge 18, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. Kaabil gets a third week at MovieMax and South Barrington 30, which also holds over Growing Up Smith.
The English-subtitled Pakistani romantic-comedy Balu Mahi debuts Friday at the South Barrington 30 and Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale.
Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:
Singam 3 (Tamil w/English subtitles) at MovieMax, Marcus Addison, and Seven Bridges, which also carries the Telugu version (w/no subtitles), as does MovieMax under the alternate title Yamudu 3
Nenu Local (Telugu w/English subtitles) at MovieMax and Seven Bridges
The documentary Song of Lahore chronicles the surprising journey of an ensemble of classically trained Pakistani musicians to their performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The film is as touching as it is educational.
Since the Mughal era, Lahore had been internationally renowned for its music. Movie studios employed orchestras to record film scores during the golden age of Pakistani cinema, until a military coup in 1977 shuttered the studios and banned most public musical performances.
Even when restrictions eased in the 1990s, young people turned toward rock ‘n roll and away from traditional music. The Taliban’s rise in influence again drove musicians out of the public sphere.
Fearing the loss of his culture, Izzat Majeed established Sachal Studios in Lahore as a place for musicians — not just players of traditional instruments like tablas and sitars, but guitarists and violinists as well — to jam together. Ignored by local audiences, Majeed made a bold suggestion: “Let’s try to understand jazz.”
What makes the suggestion especially audacious is that the membership of the Sachal Ensemble skews old, as evident by the high number of white-haired members. The notion of ditching fifty years worth of training in a particular style in order to learn a new one is remarkable and inspiring.
Majeed himself was introduced to jazz in 1958, when his father took him to a performance by Dave Brubeck as part of the US State Department’s Jazz Ambassadors program. One theme that’s repeated throughout Song of Lahore is the way politics can shape culture. During the Cold War, the United States used jazz as a weapon against communism.
Famed trumpeter Wynton Marsalis appreciates the historical connections between American jazz and traditional music in Pakistan. Jazz was born out of the persecution of African-Americans, he explains, just as the Sachal Ensemble perseveres in a country where musicians face violence from Islamic extremists.
A YouTube video of their infectious rendition of Brubeck’s iconic hit “Take Five” garners the Sachal Ensemble international interest and an invitation to perform with Marsalis’ big band at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The second half of the film focuses on that performance and the rehearsals leading up to it.
Even though the performance is assured to happen, the rehearsal scenes are tense. The Ensemble seems unsure whether to look to Marsalis for cues or to their own arranger and conductor, Nijat Ali. When they ultimately take the stage in front of a packed house, their performance provokes tears of both pride and relief.
Directors Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken keep their story focused, giving some social context but prioritizing this particular moment in the lives of these musicians. Showing the rough patches during rehearsal with Marsalis’ band highlights the practical difficulties of their mission.
Of course, all of the music in the film is tremendous.
Song of Lahore is a wonderful example of not only the power of perseverance but of adaptability. When passion compels you to do something, find a way to get it done.
No new Bollywood movies are opening in the Chicago area on Friday, January 15, 2016. Looks like I’ll have to wait for Chalk N Duster to come out on DVD.
The new year kicks off with a compelling new Bollywood drama. Farhan Akhtar and Amitabh Bachchan star in the thriller Wazir, which hits Chicago area theaters on January 8, 2016.
Dilwale gets a fourth week at the Gardens 1-6, MovieMax, South Barrington 30, and Cantera 17.
MovieMax and the South Barrington 30 also have the Pakistani film Ho Mann Jahaan.
Other Indian films showing in the Chicago area this weekend include Nenu Sailaja (Telugu) at the Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge and MovieMax, which also carries the Telugu movies Killing Veerappan and Veelaithe Premiddam.
Singh Is Bliing carries over at all of the above theaters except the River East 21. Talvar gets at second week at MovieMax, Cantera 17, and South Barrington 30, which also holds over Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon.
Another new release with a South Asian focus is the documentary He Named Me Malala, about the heroic teen activist Malala Yousafzai. It opens on Friday across the Chicago area and the nation. Click here for a national theater list.
