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Is there something brewing between Silambarasan and Nayantara? The Kodambakkam grapevine is abuzz with stories of the couples clandestine meetings and frantic exchange of SMS messages. Simbu in a way has become Nayan?s protector and savior.
It all started when Simbu met Nayan on the sets of P.L.Thenappan produced Vallavan. At the time of its launch, a provocative poster was launched that caught the attention of the entire industry and trade in which Simbu was biting Nayan?s lips!
Actually it was Simbu?s (he is also the director)idea to shed Nayan?s girl-next-door image that she had in Chandramukhi, which seemed to have worked as this poster got the best possible publicity! Overnight Nayantara became the glamour queen of Kollywood which also made Vallavan hot in the trade.
Simbu also had a casting coup when he had two more glam girls Reema Sen and Sandhya in Vallavan and the film is a thriller set in a high school campus with rollicking music by Yuvan Shankar Raja.
Meanwhile Nayantara found a ?good friend? in Simbu which slowly turned into admiration. Unlike Trisha and Asin, Nayan does not have a father or mother to look after her career and she lives alone in a Chennai hotel. She takes her own career decisions while her parents stay in Tiruvalla in Kerala.
Nayan has found a shoulder to unburden her worries in Simbu. It was on his advice that she shifted from the Park Hotel to Metropolitan (formerly Traders Hotel) on G.N.Chetty road where she has a permanent suite.
The buzz is that they are always sending SMS and meeting for dinner at Paprika, the coffee shop at the newly opened Courtyard Marriott. Simbu is also extending the shooting of Vallavan as Nayan quietly doles out dates without batting an eyelid!
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Simran is eager to make a come-back and has toned down her physique which had bloated up a little post-marriage and a child. She is now looking out for a ?role of substance?. Deepak, her hubby, has been reportedly getting offers too, and Simran says that if she gets a suitable offer to co-star with him, she would surely give it preference. Also, that if she gets offers to pair with actors like Vijay and Ajit, she would surely take them up. Meanwhile, soon she would reportedly be shooting for a Sharat Kumar-film which is to be directed by Gautham Menon, where she would be sharing frames with Jyotika.
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National Award winning actor Meera Jasmine, whose `Mercury Pookal' has just been released, has her course in cinema clearly charted out.
It was tough to believe that the beautiful girl with large eyes, in traditional mundum neriyathum, waiting in the wings to be honoured by the President, looking visibly tense and almost vulnerable, was actually the one who had beat many capable contenders to win the National Best Actress Award. The year was 2004. `Padam Onnu Oru Vilapam' was the film, T. V. Chandran was the director and Meera Jasmine, the winner. She had been in the field for just a couple of years when the nation's greatest recognition for an actress came her way. "Looking back, even when I was on the stage it was as though I was in a spell. And it's still like a dream," laughs Jasmine.
"Why the award alone?" she goes on. "I'm still to believe that this simple girl from Tiruvalla, has become a known face in cinema now. I feel all that has happened is magic, Maya. Every day I look at the mirror and ask myself, who am I really? Jasmine or Meera?"
The actor was on her way to Hyderabad to shoot for a Telugu film. Just the previous evening she had been to Kerala to receive the Asianet Award for Best Actress for her performance in Sathyan Anthikkad's `Achuvinte Amma.' Meera Jasmine had played Achu and Urvasi, her mother.
Why did she choose a prefix for her name? "Jasmine did not appear to be suitable for cinema. And I have a fascination for Krishna and Meera. So I decided to call myself Meera Jasmine," she says.
About `Mercury Pookal'
Jasmine is a famous face in the South as she works in all the four languages. Her latest film in Tamil, `Mercury Pookal,' has just been released and the actor is already receiving rave reviews for her performance. "I'm so glad. Even people who watch films very rarely have been calling me up to say that they liked `Mercury Pookal.' The best part is that they have noticed even minor matters. It shows the film had kept them absorbed," she observes.
When director S. S. Stanley first came to meet Meera Jasmine for the project, she was not too keen. "After doing a couple of run-of-the-mill roles in Tamil I was fed up. I'd rather sit at home than do routine stuff, I had decided. But as Stanley began narrating the story I got interested. I saw enough scope for me to perform. Moreover I like to work in films involving ordinary characters you see in day-to-day life. `Mercury Pookal' has such a subject. I'm happy I did the film."
From the days of `Suthradharan' (Malayalam), her debut film in which she co-starred with Dileep, till date, Jasmine has matured as a person and as a performer. "I was not at all serious then. `If the film clicks fine, otherwise I would go back to my studies,' I had thought." But the response got her interested in cinema as a career. "However, one thing that hasn't changed is my nervousness. With every film the tension only seems to increase. During the first week of shooting for a new film I'm a bundle of nerves. After which I slowly unwind and settle down. But the next time I'm into a project, the tension is back all over again. So it's not the confidence level that goes higher, but anxiety," she candidly states.
"When I watch old films I actually feel sad. We actors don't get as much a chance to portray strong women characters, as say, Revathi or Sarita did. But slowly the Tamil industry is changing. Importance is being given to heroines too. `Mercury Pookal' is one such," continues Jasmine. `Kasturi Maan' was another film in the recent past that saw some excellent portrayals from both Meera Jasmine and Prasanna, the lead pair.
In other languages
`Mourya' with Puneet Rajkumar, marked Meera's debut in Kannada. Jasmine is doing her fourth film in Telugu now. How does she fit into Telugu filmdom's completely commercial set up? "Not many directors create strong female protagonists like K. Viswanath did. But I select only the ones I find worthwhile," she comments. `Bhadra,' her Telugu hit, was made as `Saravana' in Tamil. Jasmine's recent stills from `Rasathantram' with Mohanlal look interesting. "Yes. I play a young man in the first half of the film," she laughs. It is her first film with the hero. "I find it awesome watching Mohanlal work," she adds. In fact it has been quite a while since she did a Malayalam film. "That's because I wait for good roles. I work in all four languages of the South. So I'm busy in one or the other language. I do a Malayalam film, then a Kannada, followed by a Tamil and so on. Though there might appear to be a gap, I'm constantly shooting," she explains.
Hindi, as of now, is not on her agenda. "I don't think I'll suit Hindi films. I'm a typical south Indian and I prefer it this way. But if I get the kind of challenging parts like say the ones Shabana Azmi does, I'll surely take them up," she hastens to add.
But at any point, has she felt language as being a barrier, especially as she is working in four? Working in the mother tongue may have a slight advantage, you begin and Jasmine stops you. "But eventually it's the emotions and the expressions that matter. They are the same among all of us, so it's no problem," she explains.
And as far as heroes are concerned, she has no reservations. "It's my character and the scope it has that I consider. Otherwise I'm comfortable with all the heroes I work with."
So when is the next Tamil release going to be? "It will be another satisfying project with a reputed director. That's all I wish to reveal at the moment," says Jasmine as she gives a suspenseful smile.
Jasmine turns pensive and philosophical as she says,
" I wish to be a part of good cinema. Earning money alone is not my aim. Playing worthy characters and making a positive impact is what I aspire for. And when I spend most of my time on the sets I should feel happy and satisfied about what I'm doing there. That's why I am very choosy."
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Mercury Pookal
Genre: Family drama Director: S. S. Stanley Cast: Srikanth, Meera Jasmine, `Delhi' Ganesh, Karunas Storyline: When the hero who is forced into marriage realises that he actually loves his wife problems arise. Bottomline: Linear narration with no frills.
A series of simple incidents strung together in Stanley style make up Sri Nandi Productions' `Mercury Pookal' (U/A). S. S. Stanley, who is in charge of the story, screenplay, dialogue and direction, believes that no out-of-the-ordinary happenings are essential to make a film appealing — you saw it in `April Madhathil' and in `Pudukkottaiyil Irundhu Saravanan' and now again you notice it in `Mercury Pookal.' And many of the sequences he has conceived are natural. Every incident need not be action-packed or high-voltage, as long as it is interesting Stanley seems to say.
An enigma
A reluctant Karthik (Srikanth) is made to marry Anbuchelvi (Meera Jasmine). Chelvi too is equally unwilling. If it remind you of Azhagamperumal's `Dumm Dumm Dumm,' Jasmine's cacophony in the cinema hall is similar to the sequence in `Sandakkozhi.' Stanley has taken pains to show Karthik's change of heart, but you are perplexed why Jasmine reveals no sign of wanting to put an end to the marriage after the initial outburst on the first night! There's no clear-cut delineation of the character.
Srikanth shines both in the light-hearted and serious sequences — why success has been eluding the young hero for quite a while now is a puzzle. Jasmine is a right mix of beauty and talent. She makes quite an impression in the scenes where she literally pushes aside her husband in exasperation. Only she has put on a little weight. Subtle humour is a highpoint of `Mercury Pookal.' The chief guest pushing the husband and wife towards each other on stage is an example. Mention has to be made of `Delhi' Ganesh's spontaneity. The man lends sheen to the otherwise usual role of a father. Another actor who adds lustre to his character is `Pithamagan' Mahadevan. Karunas rises from mundane humour to make a mark in the twist towards the end.
The fast cuts that help maintain pace (especially the brilliant song sequence, `Maapillai Veetukku Vandachu') speak amply about Anil Malnad's editing. Pa. Vijay's lyric for the number is another enticing aspect. Amar's imaginative artwork is exemplified in the backdrops he has created for the songs. The colours, the objects and the way they are positioned (the Jacuzzi in the first song, for example) deserve praise. Composer Karthik Raja proves once again that he deserves more opportunities. The lilting music of the titles and the differently used percussion in the songs (`Solla Vaarthaigal') are a treat.
The director builds up sequences to a crescendo and smoothens them out into ordinary, credible events. Like, when Karthik and Chelvi check into a dingy hotel, everything about the milieu looks ominous. You expect the worst, but the two escape after a mild rough and tumble. Stanley's treatment in `Mercury ... ' shows more maturity and class than his earlier films.
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Pattiyal
Genre: Action Director: Vishnuvardhan Cast: Arya, Bharat, Pooja, Padmapriya Storyline: A couple of killers go about hacking down big people for money, but one day they find themselves in a spot. Bottomline: Daredevilry or sheer bloodbath?
It's bloody action from start to finish in SG Films Private Limited's `Pattiyal' (A). The heartening factor is of course, the lesson it seems to impart — that violence as a means can only lead to a disturbing end.
The disappointment of `Kurumbu' notwithstanding, Vishnuvardhan went on to make a runaway success of `Arindhum Ariyaamalum,' and has now followed it up with an action-packed `Pattiyal.'
Kosi (Arya) and Selva (Bharat) are orphans who grow up to be the thickest of friends. In fact friendship forms the base of `Pattiyal.' They are hired killers who go about knifing or gunning down their targets with clinical precision. Selva is deaf and mute but has a photographic memory as far as a mission is concerned. Saro (Padmapriya) is madly in love with Kosi and you also see a romantic interlude with Selva and Sandhya (Pooja). VMC. Haneefa's role of Sami, the middleman who hires Kosi and Selva, fits him like a glove.
Arya comes out with a neat portrayal of Kosi, a drunkard very well aware of where their dark lives would take them. His rough exterior that hides the warmth is brought out well. Bharat's Selva is an example of apt casting. The two young actors are honing their skills with every film. In fact, be it Pooja or Padmapriya, VMC. Haneefa or Bala (who plays Sappai, a tea shop assistant with big dreams), each has come out with a credible performance.
When Kosi in a drunken stupor talks about funerals, you know what's in store. And the irony is, in a film that deals with nothing but murder and melee, not one policeman makes so much as an appearance! It's as though you are living in a free-for-all world where you can go about butchering people at will, with no questions from any quarter.
Crisp treatment
Rajkannan's dialogue with its comic undertones, gallows humour and profound observations lifts the scenes. Vishnuvardhan's screenplay is a major reason for the crispness of `Pattiyal.' Even when switching over to flashback mode, Vishnu adopts a subtle yet racy approach. Amply contributing to it is Sreekar Prasad's editing.
Remiyan's art takes you to settings, sometimes perplexing and at other times true to life. Cameraman Nirav Shah's use of light and shade, his silhouettes and the texture help Vishnu present his story in the right milieu.
Among Yuvan Shankar Raja's compositions `Daei! Namma Maelam,' and `Namma Kaattulae ... ' sung by Ilaiyaraja remain with you. Thankfully, Vishnu has not brought in a Mumbai figure for an item number. Padmapriya fills the bill to a certain extent. With proficient dancers like Bharat around it must have been a field day for choreographer Kalyan.
When the bad kill the bad, you cannot expect sympathy. So when the heroes (!) go about killing men for money in cold blood and later when they are at the receiving end, apart from the initial shock you feel nothing.
Vishnuvardhan, who heads the `Pattiyal' team with his story, screenplay and direction, doesn't expect any finer feelings from the filmgoer. He's got a taut storyline, clearly defined characters, and a twist in the last scene that tells you in categorical terms that perpetrators of crime can never be annihilated. They will always find a gullible henchman to do their job. But on the whole the overdose of gore in `Pattiyal' bothers you.
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Movie:Oru Kathal Seiveer
Director: Bhargavan
Cast: S.A.Santhosh, Archana, Krishna .
S.A.Santhosh a newcomer launched himself a few months back as hero with a steamy Kathal Seiva Virumbu and now he is back with Oru Kathal Seiveer. Santhosh and his director Bhargavan has once again delved with a story on their favouritre subject - pre-marital sex and its consequences.
Kamesh (Santhosh) is a playboy who meets his match in Subha (Archana). She believes in having a nice time without any strings attached. Her attitude is clear – “sex is like having coffee when one has a headache!”. Subha’s bindaas attitude shocks even a Casanova like Kamesh especially when she walks out of his life after sleeping with him. Soon Kamesh falls for her but she has other ideas as she agrees for an arranged marriage with Anand (Krishna) who is his best friend! Now Kamesh wants to take revenge and it leads to a stunning climax.
It is a crude film which wants to convey a message which remains jumbles as the director and hero are more interested in packaging the film with sleaze and glamour show. Still Oru Kathal Seiveer is just ok, if you have nothing else to do.
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Q: What are your favourite pastimes?
A: Watching cartoons on TV, reading, listening to music and going on long drives.
Q: Who is your favourite actor?
A: Aamir Khan.
Q: What is your favourite dish?
A: Pav-bhaji.
Q: What are your favourite outfits?
A: Saris and half-saris.
Q: How would you describe yourself?
A: Contrary to my screen image, I am very simple and shy.
Q: What’s your favourite holiday spot?
A: Mauritius
.Q: Tell us about the man of your dreams.
A: A good-looking, caring and loveable guy who cares for my opinions.
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The title of the film is Something Something Enakkum Unakkum. One wonders why there was no opposition from the so-called Tamil protection force who had, in the past, forced many filmmakers to change the titles of their films. They even attacked Mumbai Express.
Something, Something has been made by the 'Jayam' family. It is produced by Mohan, with editing and direction by 'Jayam' Raja. It stars 'Jayam' Ravi and Trisha in the lead roles. The first film the family made was Jayam, a remake from Telugu, which was a huge hit. They then re-made M.Kumaran, S/o Mahalakshmy, again from Telugu, which was also successful. Ravi then made films outside his family, and all of them -- Das, Mazhai and the latest Idaya Thirudan made by K.Balachander's Kavithalaya banner -- turned out to be damp squibs at the box office.
Now, perhaps to revive his career, his father and brother have decided on another remake. Will they be lucky a third time around?
Something..Something is the remake of one of the most successful films in Telugu called Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana, which heralded the arrival of Prabhu Deva as a successful director. It also catapulted Siddharth, the hero, into the big league. Interestingly, for the role of Trisha's brother, an important character, the filmmakers had to really struggle hard. The role finally went to Prabhu.
The film is extremely important for Trisha too. Her position in the Tamil industry has been threatened by Asin and Nayanthara. Moreover, her last two films were not hits. Though Aaru with Surya did decent business, Aathi with Vijay was a disaster.
All said and done, a lot of hopes riding on Something..Something.
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Sudesi Genre: Action Director: Jaypey A.Y. Cast: Vijayakanth, Manoj K.Jayan, Shayaji Shinde, Ashima Storyline: Sudesi's aim in life is to help the people in every way he can. Bottomline: Clich‚s galore!
Replace MGR with Vijayakanth and Ashima with yesteryear heroines Latha or Manjula and you have a complete Puratchi Thalaivar cocktail of the 1970s in Captain Cine Creations' `Sudesi.' Nambiar is a sober soul in `Sudesi' — Shayaji Shinde takes care of the villainy instead.
Apart from the slightly astute moves of private detective Thilak (Manoj K. Jayan) and the hero himself there's nothing new that three decades and more have done to the routine plot.
Sudesi (Vijayakanth) may not have a job to boast of but he keeps himself busy righting the wrongs in society. There's this aunt's daughter (Ashima) in the village pining for him and keeping herself going with dream duets. But like any do-gooder, romance is the last thing on Sudesi's mind.
He happens to stumble on a CD that has dark details about the Chief Minister, Aasiya Narayanan (Shinde) and sees it as an opportunity to do good to the people. Is it so easy to have a CM at your beck and call, and twist his arms?
Then from time to time you have Vijayakanth on a proclamation spree, stating his patriotism and uprightness in public life. Hence naturally you get to hear a lot of maxims and sermons, Sudesi style.
Vijayakanth comes out with a usual performance. And probably because he is conscious of his new political avatar he is a tad too staid and serious.
Humour, which he is good at and generally gives room for in his portrayal, is nowhere to be seen in `Sudesi.'
Karunas' comedy line doesn't fit into the scheme of things. Ashima's coquetry exasperates while Manoj K. Jayan's underplay appeals.
Stunts (Rocky Rajesh) in `Sudesi' look contrived and rather amateurish. In his enthusiasm to make Vijayakanth appear imposing and formidable, Kichas opts for a few angles that end up looking awkward.
Abruptly ending sequences distract the viewer. (K.R. Gowrishankar is the editor.)
Debut making writer-director Jaypey A.Y. sees to it that the dialogue (punches as the jargon goes) is a total image-building exercise for the actor-politician. A perfect clarion call to the cadres — Vijayakanth makes no bones about the purpose of his `Sudesi.'
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