Rajkummar Rao, R. Madhavan lead Netflix's upcoming 2025 titles

Mumbai, April 22 (IANS) Streaming giant Netflix showcased three Indian productions at its APAC showcase in Tokyo, with Bollywood stars Rajkummar Rao and R. Madhavan leading the slate of upcoming titles set for 2025 release.

The presentation highlighted the streaming platform’s growing commitment to diverse Indian storytelling across languages and genres, reports variety.com.

“This year is going to be our most diverse year yet,” Netflix India original films head Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh said.

“After the wildly loved ‘Pushpa 2,’ ‘Dragon,’ and ‘Chhaava,’ we have an exciting lineup of some of the biggest theatrical films coming to Netflix in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.”

Currently streaming is “Test,” the streaming giant’s first Tamil-language original film, a sports drama featuring R. Madhavan, Nayanthara, and Siddharth.

Sheikh also talked up the imminent release of “Jewel Thief,” described as a “high octane heist-action film” starring Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat, scheduled to debut within days of the showcase.

Then came the three upcoming productions.

“Aap Jaisa Koi” stars R. Madhavan and Fatima Sana Sheikh in what Sheikh described as “a heartwarming romantic drama” set in Kolkata. The film, directed by Vivek Soni, marks Madhavan’s return to the romance genre and follows an unlikely relationship between a 40-something introverted teacher and a confident 30-something woman who is a French teacher.

“Inspector Zende,” featuring Manoj Bajpayee and Jim Sarbh, draws inspiration from true events.

The 1980s-set film directed by Chinmay Mandlekar chronicles Madhukar Bapurao Zende, an “ordinary cop with an extraordinary sense of justice,” pursuing notorious international criminal Carl Bhojraj.

Also featured was “Toaster,” Rajkummar Rao’s latest comedy and the first production from KAMPA Films, the new production house launched by Rao and his wife, actor Patralekhaa.

The film features Rajkummar as a miser whose obsession with a wedding gift – a toaster – triggers “murder and mayhem.” The cast includes Sanya Malhotra, Abhishek Banerjee, Seema Pahwa, and Archana Puran Singh.

During an on-stage conversation, Rajkummar discussed the genesis of KAMPA Films: “We were in Goa on a holiday, and our friend was visiting us from Delhi, who’s not from the industry at all… He said, ‘why don’t you guys produce?'”

He also revealed his approach to comedy: “I try not to be funny while doing comedy, which is a very difficult task, because sometimes you get greedy… But that would just ruin the scene. So you have to be very controlled while doing comedy.”

--IANS

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