Home » Archives for 8/19/07 - 8/26/07
Today (August 25) ‘Captain’ Vijaykanth is celebrating his birthday. Since he is the fastest rising politician in the state his party DMDK is making it a major event.
The Tamil newspapers have come out with special birthday supplements and posters are there in every nook and corner wishing the Puratchikalagnar all the best. The captain has said that his only aim is for the upliftment of “the poor and downtrodden”. Unlike other Dravidian leaders, Vijaykanth is a believer, so there will be special ‘poojas’ in select temples all over the state.
Meanwhile Vijaykanth has made the first official announcement that his home concern Captain cine creations will produce his 150 th film Arasangam. The film will be directed by R.Madhesh, and will be a big budget extravaganza. In this action, adventure movie, Captain will play a police academy chief who goes to hunt international terrorist in Canada and US!
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Dhanush got injured during the climax scene fight of his Pollathavan in Chennai. He had a minor cut on his forehead, which will take a week to heal.
The incident took place at the old Gaiety theatre in Mount Road area of Chennai. The theatre with the help of eight generators has been converted into a huge ice factory cum fish processing plant. The climax fight took place inside the plant with the temperature below zero degrees amidst 30 tones of raw fish!
The director Vetrimaran wanted to give it an authentic look and producer Kathiresan agreed to foot the bill in converting the theatre into a fish processing plant!
The climax scene has the hero (Dhanush) and the main villain (Daniel Balaji) confrontation followed by a terrific clash. Daniel Balaji was holding a knife in one hand, which accidentally brushed Dhanush's forehead causing a cut. But the actor refused to go for immediate treatment and completed the scene and later went to the hospital.
When contacted Dhanush told Moviebuzz: “It was a minor cut on my forehead and I have taken medical care. There are no stitches and I have resumed shoot today. No cause of any panic”.
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We at kollya.blogspot.com wish Ilayathalapathy Vijay and his lovely wife Sangeeta, a happy wedding anniversary.
Today (August 25) is their eighth wedding anniversary, which we are sure that they will celebrate in style.
For Vijay, its days of celebration, and good times - On Monday, Thiruonam day (Aug 27), Vijay will be conferred a doctorate by the MGR University.
So the actor has enough reasons to smile.
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Nayantara is yet to recover completely from a bout of viral fever. The actress is a complete professional and refuses to take even a day’s rest.
She has been shooting a song with Vishal in Hyderabad’s Ramoji Rao film city for his first straight Telugu film Salute (the dubbed Tamil version is called Sathyam).
Nayan’s frequent trips abroad for shooting for her various films, has left her drained. The climatic changes have played havoc leaving her with a bad cold. Since she is so busy in Tamil and Telugu, if she takes a forced break it will upset her shooting schedule. So the poor girl is shooting round the clock, and is not ready to take rest or pamper herself!
This song that is being shot is tuned by Harris Jayaraj and is shot with a dozen kids at a beautiful set choreographed by Dinesh. Nayan will finish the song and be in Chennai to complete Vishnuvardhan’s Billa.
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Bharathiraja, the veteran film director has managed a coup of sorts by getting Nana Patekar to do his first bilingual - Cinema in Hindi and Bommalattam in Tamil.
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The film has Arjun in a pivotal role and it is an action based thriller.
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Bommalattam is being aggressively marketed and will also have a premiere in US.
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Says Bharathiraja: “I enjoyed working with Nana Patekar, one of the finest actors in the country. We had difference of opinion while making the film but at the end of it, both of us realized that it turned out better for the film.”
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Though Bharathiraja is making a film after a long break, he has given his best to it. Cinematography is by Kannan who has done almost all Bharathiraja movies for three decades.
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Bommalattam has a bold theme and will suit the taste of international audiences. The premise is about the emotional aspects of a film director played by Nana. It is an edgy fact-paced thriller that will reflect realities in filmdom. 
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Rukmini and Kajal Agarwal are the heroines.
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Himesh Reshmaiyya is the music director and he has composed five songs which are said to be mind blowing. Says Raja: “We had a great rapport and I appreciate his talent” .
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Prakash Raj the path breaking producer, and Radha Mohan the director with a difference are back six months after the stupendous success of their celluloid classic Mozhi.
The pair under Prakash's `Duet Movies` is going to make another off-beat film about the relationship between a father and daughter. The film has been titled as Abhiyum Njanum and features Prakash Raj as the father and Trisha as the daughter, with Kushboo playing a pivotal role.
Says a beaming Prakash Raj: " Abhiyum Njaanum is going to be a very different type of film. I will say it is a film about life. We are planning to start the shoot of the movie in Munnar sometime in the middle of October."
Already Vidyasagar has recorded two of the songs written by Vairamuthu. Hats off, to Radha Mohan and Prakash Raj for being daringly different.
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After playing 'Periyar', Sathyaraj is once again doing a real life character in his latest film titled Vambu Sandai. He is rumoured to be doing the role of the former chief election commissioner T.N Seshan!
At the audio launch of the film Sathyaraj said: " In Vambu Sandai, directed by Raj Kapoor, my character is Jeevan an upright, honest election commissioner who wants to cleanse the system and bring dignity and accountability to the election process." Added director Raj Kapoor: "It is an out and out action entertainer, where Sathyaraj plays an official who dares criminals in politics. Vambu Sandai is not based on any real incident or characters."
The film has Telugu actor Uday Kiran and Diya in the romantic lead, with music by D.Imman. Imman has remixed the popular MGR message song from Kudirunthu Kovil, Naan Yaar, Naan Yaar…. and picturised on Sathyaraj, who is a big fan of MGR.
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For the next 75 days, till Diwali (November 7) there are going to be no major releases in Tamil. Nearly a dozen small movies with upcoming stars are scheduled to release in September and October.
As of now barring Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan, all the other top four stars- Vijay (Azhagia Tamizh Mahan), Vikram (Bheema), Ajit( Billa) and Surya(Vel) are likely to have a Diwali release. Added to that the producers of Madhavan's Vaazhthukkal, Dhanush's Pollathavan, Simbu's Kaalai, Bharat's Palani, Vishal's Malaikottai, have all said in various interviews that they are also looking for a Diwali release!
If all the producers and actors wishes come true, then there should be a dozen Diwali releases! Well that is not going to happen, if Chennai city cannot accommodate all the proposed Diwali releases, how about small towns where there are just three to four releasing theatres?
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Ameer, the director of Paruthiveeran has hit back at Sivakumar and sons! He has filed a case against Sivakumar, Surya, Karthi, Gnanavel, and Prasad labs, at the Madras High Court seeking compensation that he has not received for the film.
Ameer in his petition has made very serious allegations against Sivakumar and sons. He says that half way through the shooting of Paruthiveeran they lost interest and started producing Sillunnu Oru Kathal, which bombed. So they asked Ameer’s `Teamwork productions` to produce it, but when the film was completed and they saw the first copy of the film they wanted it back!
The matter went up to the producer’s council, who tried to work out an amicable settlement. As per the final deal thrashed out, Paruthiveeran would be a joint venture between `Studio Green` (Surya’s production concern) and `Teamwork production`. All the rights including dubbing, remake and television were to be shared between the two, but after the release, Ameer claims that all this was flouted by `Studio Green`.
Ameer now wants the court to intervene and get him his due compensation which he has pegged at Rs 80 Lakhs. Justice Prabha Sridevan has asked Sivakumar and his group to reply to the petition by August 22.
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Vasanth’s romantic thriller Sathum Podaathay is getting ready for a September release. The film is almost complete as the unit of the film is in Kerala to picturise the last song.
Sathum Podaathay carries good pre-release reports as an aesthetically made thriller with outstanding songs and takings which is sure to appeal to the connoisseurs of good cinema. Pritviraj, Padmapriya and Nitin Satya is said to have come out with excellent performance and a Malayalam dubbed version will have a simultaneous release with the Tamil original.
Vasanth has completed four songs in Chennai and is now in Kannur in Kerala to picturise the last peppy song O.. Intha Kathal…. with Pritviraj and Padmapriya. This song is choreographed by Vishnudeva who had done Dole Dole... (in Pokkiri) earlier).
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Reema Sen has a new look for her role in ace director Selvaraghavan's Aayirathil Oruvan, where she is featured opposite the dashing Karthi! The shooting of the film has started in Chennai.
Reema is said to be looking smashing and sensational in her all new look, created by ace Chennai based fashion designer Erum Ali. Erum has given her a make over, in looks and the chic clothes she wears in the film. Reema has given bulk dates to Selva, and she is taking a lot of trouble over her looks, as it is "a once in a life time role"! Reema is unwilling to discuss or talk about her role in the film, but says that it will be one of her best roles till date.
Aayirathil Oruvan is a period thriller which will be shot in some exotic locations abroad. Camera is by Ramji and six songs will be tuned by Yuvan Shankar Raja.
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Karthika, the upcoming actress has decided to walk out of director Bala's magnum opus Njan Kadavul!!
Karthika who is recovering from a bout of Typhoid, had fell sick during the making of the film in Periyakulam, and was rushed to Chennai and was hospitalized for a few days. After she was discharged, she was taking complete bed rest at home and the doctor advised her not to do outdoor shoots for a few weeks.
Meanwhile Bala and the unit was holed up in Periyakulam and completing all scenes with Arya and rest of the unit. And with Karthika having taken a decision to withdraw from the film, Bala’s hunt for a new heroine has started once again.
The grapevine is abuzz with rumours that Bala has talked to two top Malayalam heroines who has worked in Tamil films. What Bala needs is immediate Tatkal dates from these girls, who are working on other projects.
The heroine has an important role to play in Njan Kadavul, and they cannot continue with the Periyakulam schedule. If Bala does not find a heroine to step into Karthika's role, he will be forced to say "Pack up"!
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Ajit has signed a new film for Ayngaran International, which will be directed by choreographer Raju Sundaram. Shriya is going to be one of the heroines in the film.
The shoot of the film will start in December, once Billa is completed and releases for Diwali. The London based K.Karunamoorthy, Chairman of Ayngaran International, who has recently tied up with `Eros entertainment` is going to produce a Tamil film for the first time. Karunamoorthy has been for years the leading overseas Tamil distributor.
Raju Sundaram who was to debut as a director with a Dhanush film earlier, but opted out is going to direct Ajit for the first time. It will be a typical Ajit mass masala entertainer.
K.S Ravi Kumar was originally supposed to do the film, as his combination with Thalai had clicked in the past with films like Villain and Vararaalu. But Ravi Kumar is busy with Dasavatharam and also holding discussions with the superstar for his next film.
Ayngaran International is planning to release the film for Summer 2008, probably on May 1, Ajit’s birthday.
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The Madras High Court has dismissed an appeal petition filed by Senthil Kumar of Tambaram, seeking to restrain the release of Kamal Hassan’s Dasavatharam. Senthil Kumar, a writer had claimed that the film was plagiarized from his story.
The first bench of Madras High Court comprising Chief Justice A.P Shah and Justice P.Jyothimani dismissed the appeal. They said- “ Senthil Kumar has failed to make out any prima facie case for the grant of an injunction. The concept of the hero playing multiple roles is not new and it has been done in several films in Hindi and Tamil. That apart, balance of convenience is clearly on the side of respondents.”
Kamal Hassan, who has written the story of Dasavatharam, has won a major battle, after being accused of plagiarism. Earlier itself a single Judge of the High Court had dismissed the petition on the basis that the story content written by Kamal was different from that of the petitioner.
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Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi, is unhappy that the tax exemption he granted out to Tamil films is being misused, by the producers, directors and actors. Ever since the success of films like Pokkiri, Adavaadi, Thiruttu Payale, Kedi etc, more films with provocative titles are in the offing.
So to curb this tendency to coin uncouth titles ( Thitugira Varthai), the Tamilnadu government has constituted a committee to recommend films, suitable for tax exemption. In future films with titles that go against Tamil culture, will not be given tax exemption!
It clearly means, Dhanush's Pollathavan, Silambarasan's Kettavan, Sundar.C's Porikki will have to change their titles if they are to get tax exemption. In a way it is bad news for the makers of these films, as the re-call value for their film will be lost!
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Selvaraghavan was the cynosure of all eyes at the audio launch of Radaan's Kannanmoochi Enadaa. He is doing his first Hindi film with Radaan and UTV as producers and the chief guest of the evening Vivek Oberoi as the hero.
Vivek in his speech raved about Selva, whom he said was introduced to him by the master director Mani Ratnam. Vivek said Mani introduced him as "the most promising young director in Tamil films". And after he saw his works, he became a big fan of "Selva Anna".
Vivek Oberoi made Selva's day when he proclaimed that he is a "true Rock star"! Selva plans to start work on the Hindi version of 7G, Rainbow Colony by December, after he completes his Aayirathil Oruvan in Tamil.
Selva is now on the lookout for a Bollywood actress who can emote well to play the crucial role done by his wife Sonia Aggarwal in the original. It is almost certain that his pal Yuvan Shankar Raja would debut in Hindi as a music director, with the Hindi version of his soul stirring 7G Rainbow Colony scores. Ramji who is now doing his Tamil film is the frontrunner to do the camera.
Says Ronnie Screwala of UTV: "I think Selvaraghavan is one of the most promising young directors in the country. There will be some nativity changes in the Hindi version of 7G Rainbow Colony, like Mumbai milieu but let me tell you Vivek and Selva are going to be a winning combination."
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Arjun has signed a new film Oruthan, which will be produced by P.L Thenappan of Rajalakshmi films. The film will be directed by A. Venkatesh, a masala film director who has given hits with Sarath Kumar and Arjun in the past.
Arjun himself is writing the story and script of Oruthan (tentative title), which will have his favourites- cameraman Selvaraj and Music director D.Imman. It will be an action adventure film, with some terrific action scenes.
Now that Arjun’s Maruthamalai has been censored and ready for release on August 31, he will be sitting with Venkatesh to work out the finer details of this film, likely to release on January 26, 2008.
And the big news is that Sada, has been roped in to play the female lead. The heroine has equal importance as the hero for the first time in an Arjun film. Vadivel a regular in Arjun films will also play an important role in the film. The shoot of the film will start on September 10 in Chennai.
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Today (August 25) ‘Captain’ Vijaykanth is celebrating his birthday. Since he is the fastest rising politician in the state his party DMDK is making it a major event.
