Ramya Krishnan in Sun Tv

SHE’S the latest to join the bandwagon of movie stars who have chosen the small screen as an alternative career option. Ramya Krishnan, the bold actress of Padayappa and Panchathanthiram fame, is now in Kalasam, a mega-serial on Sun TV. ‘‘When film offers come my way, if I like the script and if it suits my age, I don’t mind doing the role. Padayappa gave me the right break and people still recognise me as Nilambari. And acting with Kamal Hassan in Panchathanthiram was a dream come true,” says the actress, who played the big, bad girl in both movies.

Directed by M R Senthilkumar, Kalasam is about an employed woman, Ranjani, hailing from a middle-class background who raises her voice against male chauvinism. ‘‘I haven’t quit films. I was always on the look out for a good script for a serial and I zeroed in on Kalasam,’’ clarifies Ramya, who actually entered the small screen as the host of Thangavettai, a game show on Sun TV.

‘‘I am doing a double role in Kalasam. One of them is Nilambari (a character she played in the Rajinikant-starrer Padayappa) and the other is Ranjani, competing with a business tycoon played by Sudha Chandran,’’ she explains. The story, written by Kutti Padmini, has powerful characters, and promises to have interesting twists. Commenting on the trend of women-centric stories, Ramya says, ‘‘Women form a major part of our viewership and producers create serials based on them, for them. It’s only natural.’’

We ask her about the current buzz — that she is the highest paid small screen actress in the South — and she easily dismisses it with, ‘‘I don’t know and I haven’t thought about it as it’s just been a month since we started shooting for the serial.’’ While Ramya shares the small screen with other actresses like Devayani, Sukanya, Radhika Sarathkumar and Kousalya, she plans to get to the top soon. As for films, she has signed five movies this year in Tamil and Telugu.

‘‘I don’t want to take on too many things at a time because my family is my first priority,’’ she adds. ‘‘My husband and my fouryear- old son Ritvik already feel neglected because of my tight schedules.’’ So when Ramya is not shooting, you’ll find her with her family.

“I need no exercises as my son keeps me fit by making me run around the house,’’ laughs the actress. ....

Nisha in karthikai

AS reported over two weeks ago, Malavika’s role has been handed over to Nisha Kothari, after the actress walked out of the sets of 'Karthikai' last month.

Nisha Kothari is none other than the Jay Jay heroine, known in Kollywood as Amoha. The actress has not had a successful stint in Kollywood, though she did manage to make an impression with her glamorous roles in Hindi, including movies like 'Sarkar James' and 'RGV ki Aag'.

Malavika, who is currently expecting her first child, had been roped in to do the shrew’s role of 'Indrani' in the movie in which Vikramadithya and Samiksha play the lead. The movie is produced by Anjaneyulu and directed by Veera.

Malavika had accused the producer of the movie of harassing her sexually. ....

Pyramid gears up for D-day

WITH 'Kuselan' slated for a July 31 release, Pyramid Saimira, which has bought the distribution rights of the movie, is gearing up for the D-Day. While over 400 prints have been distributed across South India, 150 prints of 'Kuselan' are well on their way to America and Malaysia, where the company is directly distributing it. For the Telugu version of the movie, 'Kathanayakudu', over 300 prints have been planned for distribution across Andhra Pradesh.

'Kuselan', spanning two hours and 35 minutes, has Pasupathy in the lead with Meena starring opposite him. Doing an extended cameo in it will be Rajinikanth, who is said to have an hour’s screen presence, with the character name of Ashok Kumar. Nayantara plays herself in the movie, her real name being retained. As the movie is said to be an ode to friendship, based on the original Malayalam movie 'Kadha Parayumbhol', it is understood that plans are on to celebrate the movie’s release along with World Friendship Day, which falls on August 3. ....

Rajinikanth ‘is a phenomenon’

TECHNICALLY speaking, the cinematographer is the first person to see a movie in the angle it is meant to be shown to the audience. And if that first viewer of the movie happens to be a big fan of the actor he’s capturing, the Superstar in this case, imagine the glee that will be in the eyes of that cinematographer. But to be honest, there’s no such glee in cinematographer Arvind Krishna, despite him being a self proclaimed Rajini fan. (Nobody escapes Rajini-ism in their childhood, he says, matter-of-factly).

If there’s anything to show that he worked for 'Kuselan', it’s a slight limp of an injured right leg, one that he hurt in the last lap of shooting for the movie, shot as a bilingual in a remarkable three months. Shooting has been tiresome, no doubt, and post-production work kept him busy till the moment I met him, in Prasad Lab, on Wednesday evening. "'Kuselan' has been a fun riot, my sixth movie actually," he explains.

He was introduced as an actor (The Danush of Operation Danush in 'Kurudhipunal') and is now working on a movie in which a song is said to honour the work of technicians ('Cinema Cinema').

Ask him about when he appears in the movie (All technicians, including Soundarya Rajinikanth who has done the special effects, will be present in the movie) and he responds, “I can assure you that I’m the only technician of the movie who didn’t do a cameo.

And that’s for no particular reason. I was just bust shooting and couldn’t face the camera at all,” he brushes it off.

The movie, the cinematographer believes, will show Pollachi, a favourite location of our filmmakers, in an altogether new, happy light. Following this, Arvind Krishna’s next is 'Poi Solla Porom', directed by Vijay and is slated for an August release. As someone who has worked with Kollywood’s youngest directors, from Selvaraghavan (7/G Rainbow Colony, Pudupettai, Kadhal Kondein) to Gautam Menon ('Pachaikili Muthucharam') and Vijay, Arvind doesn’t see P Vasu as a director of the older generation.

“It’s rare for a director to know so much about the technical side of things. And credit goes to him for finishing work on time because he is one director who exactly knows what he wants even before shoot for a scene begins.”

If it’s laurels for P Vasu, what Arvind says about the Superstar sparks of pure adulation. “Oh, Mr Rajini is a phenomenon. He moved me with his actor role in the movie. He’s always punctual, jovial on the sets, very interactive and a fantastic actor,” he explains.

“There was this assistant director who Rajini sir used to make fun of on the sets. It was in good humour but the assistant even tried hiding his face once when the Superstar appeared on the sets. Yet, Rajini spotted him and it was such fun on the sets with the duo. Sir is a phenomenon, as a hero, as an actor and as a person,” he recalls.

And the clearly bowled-over cinematographer does have good things to say about Rajini’s on-screen role in the movie too. “It’s a classic Rajini you will see, one in the glory of his vintage days. Trust me when I say this will be one of the best movies ever,” he adds.

To any of the many Rajini fans, to see the Superstar, at close quarters in his element, a leg injury will only seem a small price to pay. ....

Rajnikant starrer Kuselan goes to Tokyo film festival

CHENNAI: Tamil superstar Rajnikant starrer 'Kuselan' will be shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival, starting in October.

The film is scheduled to be released here July 31.

"After the superstar's huge popularity following the success of 'Muthu' in Japan, interest in his films is huge. Since Rajnikant is playing himself, the pre-release response is fantastic," R Venkatakrishnan, Chief Operating Officer Pyramid Saimira, told IANS.

Rajnikant's 1995 film 'Muthu' was dubbed in Japanese and released in Japan in 1998. It ran for 288 days in multiple screens.

It is not clear right now whether the actor will attend the festival, said sources close to the actor.

So far Japanese media companies and television stations have produced over 30 documentaries on Rajnikant. ....

Rajnikanth is the only superstar: Dhanush

CHENNAI: Tamil film star Dhanush Thursday urged his fans not to call him a 'junior superstar' as the only superstar in the industry was his father-in-law and actor Rajnikanth.

'Do not call me 'Ilaya (junior) superstar' because there is only one and that is my father-in-law Rajnikanth,' Dhanush said on the eve of his 30th birthday.

'I have now begun paying attention to my fans more because I have understood that it is they who convert an average film into a hit,' the actor said after inaugurating a blood donation camp with 200 of his fans.

After a string of flops, Dhanush's career was resurrected with the release of his last film 'Pollathavan' (The terrible one), which was a blockbuster and was also the title of an earlier film starring Rajnikanth made in 1980.

The next venture starring Dhanush also has a name similar to another Rajnikanth hit 'Padikkathavan' (Illiterate) made in 1985.

Starring Vadivelu, Tamanna and Suman, 'Padikkathavan 'is scheduled for release in September 2008.

Dhanush is married to superstar Rajnikanth's elder daughter Aishwarya. ....

Actor Jai whose voice and looks so similar to Vijay

IT’S not easy to gain a foothold in filmdom even if you look like the superstar of your generation. Actor Jai, whose name, voice and looks are so similar to Vijay’s, will vouch for that.

His looks may well have been his trump card for an entry into Kollywood as, understandably, Vijay’s brother in Bhagavathy, but success hasn’t come easy for him. After a noticeable role in Chennai 600028, and a stunner in Subramaniapuram, this 23-year-old is finally a name to reckon with.

And success rests so easily on his young shoulders, despite his movie being among the biggest hits of the year so far. “All credit to the director. The first take being okayed was how I wanted to work, but a lot of scenes took as many as nine takes. So what you see is only what director Sasikumar wanted me to do,” he says. And that, he excitedly continues, has won him the appreciation of the biggest heroes, including Vijay, Ajith, Simbhu and Vishal.

“The most unforgettable of them all was director Bala giving me a big hug and saying I’d acted with the maturity that comes after 50 movies,” he exclaims.

“Subramaniyapuram has been one big success, bigger than I expected it would be. And it seems to have made me a lot more worth monetarily in the industry,” he adds. The actor is currently doing Adhey Neram Adhey Idam, a love story with a twist. In the movie, he pairs with Vijayalakshmi of Chennai 600028 fame, while Premiji Amaren is the music director.

“It has a big surprise element in its treatment, and letting it out will spoil your experience,” he explains. The movie is directed by Prabhu, an assistant to director SJ Suryah. And following that will be yet another interesting movie, Aval Peyar Tamilarasi, along with Navya Nair, a very interesting script that he is excited about.

And then, there’ll be another experimental movie about Chennai’s growing nightlife, to be directed by the Gayathri- Puskar duo, who had earlier directed Oram Po.

Somehow, the desire to do a commercial movie seems to have eluded the actor. Speaking about it, Jai says, “I am not interested in run-of-the mill commercial cinema. It needs a good screenplay. There’s no point in doing the usual stuff always,” he explains with conviction.

With a pause, he then quickly adds “If a good commercial script like Ghilli comes my way, I’ll definitely do it.” Spoken like a true Vijay fan. ....

on the same wavelength as JEEVA

HE’S a renowned Tamil novelist, whose books like 'Nedunkuruvi', 'Thunai Ezhithu' and 'Kada Vilasam' are household names. Writer S Ramakrishnan has, however, taken to writing dialogues for films as well. His next release is the Jeyam Ravi starrer Dhaam Dhoom, a brainchild of director Jeeva, who passed away during the making of the film in Russia.

Ramakrishan had worked for Jeeva’s Unnale Unnale also, and recalls how Jeeva inspired him, “Jeeva and I were on the same wavelength. He gave me immense freedom to write. The best part was that he was clued into literature. This made it a pleasure to work better together.” Ramakrishnan is not new to Tamil cinema. He has several movies with major directors and film makers to his credit. He has also written the dialogues for Vasanthabalan’s debut film Album, Rajni’s Baba, and Linguasamy’s Sandaikozhi and Bheema.

He is currently working on director Saran’s Vinay and Kajal Aggarwal starrer, Modhi Vilaiyadu. But Jeeva has a special place in his heart. “We were great friends for years. He would allow me to improvise on the sets, and write dialogues on the spot.”

He tells us the advantages behind working like this, “I study the characters and actors’ body language, way of thinking and communicating and then write. This makes the dialogues more convincing.” Ramakrishnan is the winner of several literary awards, such as Best Writer from the Toronto University ( 2007), and the CKK Literary Forum, Coimbatore.

He also won the TN Government’s Best Writer award 2007 for his Aravan. With so much going for him in the field of literature, why has he taken to writing for films as well? Explaining this move he says, “I am exploring different genres in writing. It’s another form of communication for me.” ....

VISHAL goes the RAJINI way

Actor Vishal, after six months of rigorous working out, and following a diet that’s any mother’s ire, fits perfectly into the role of the policeman in Satyam.

Speaking about his six-pack and perfectly toned body, the actor said “I remember Rajini sir at a recent event, mention a diet for youngsters to follow,. That was the kind of diet I lived on for six months, completely avoiding rice, and the results are for there everybody to see.

It’s not just him, but an equally toned Nayanthara, that led to the movie shaping up well, the actor said. Speaking about the movie, director A Rajasekar said “It was a movie that had an original budget of Rs 3.85 crore. But thanks to the producers, it has come out very well, with a massive budget of over Rs 25 crores,” he said. For the first time in ages, music director Harris Jayaraj has arranged for a live orchestra recording, bringing together over 84 musicians.

“We’re living in an era when every musician’s portion is recorded as an exclusive track and then brought together. But Harris has done this for Satyam, and the music has come out exceptionally well,” Rajasekar added. Rumours about the alleged romance between the movie’s lead pair Vishal and Nayanthara hogged the limelight.

“There are so many problems in the country now, from the government’s instability to steep price hike. With such important issues, any buzz about my love life seems irrelevant,” he tactfully responded.

Early this year, the actor stirred up a hornet’s nest by stating that he was in love with a leading actress. This started speculation about the girl being Priyamani, his co star in Malaikottai, or Nayanthara. Recently, the actor clarified to Expresso that his love will not materialise.

“I’m never ever going to confess my love to that heroine. It’s not happening, so let’s forget it.” ....

Isai Aruvi to telecast Tamil Music Awards show

PEOPLE all over Tamil Nadu have voted for their favourite musicians across various categories.This was the highlight of the Tamil Music Award that took place at the Chennai Nehru Indoor Stadium recently.

A specially designed fully equipped van had travelled across 21 towns in the state and gathered votes from movie goers.

It began with an invocation dance performance by the ace classical dancer and actress Shobana and the award ceremony was interpolated with dance performances by Simran and Megna Naidu. Sruthi Kamal Haasan also gave her maiden solo performance.

The celebrities who gave away awards included Chitra, Sujatha, Prabu Deva, Kushboo, Sripriya, Pa. Vijay, Simran Gauthami, Sandhya, Rajeev, A.R. Rahman, Shruti Haasan and directors Shankar and Dharani. The event started with the presentation of Lifetime Achievement Award to Lalgudy Jayaram and the duo MSV-Ramamurthy and Vikku Vinayagam.

Award receiptients for other categories included Rising Star Lyricist Award for actress Rohini, Rising Star Music Composer Award for for G.V. Prakash, Best Hero Award for Vijay, Best Heroine Award for Nayanthara,and Best Director award for Shankar. The Tamil Music award function will be telecast on July 25 and 26 on Isai Aruvi, the 24 hour music channel from Kalaignar TV bouquet. ....

Tollywood to lose Mumaith!

THE very mention of Mumaith Khan sends the crowds into a tizzy. From an item girl to a heroine, her meteoric rise hints at her hardwork and dedication. Few months down the lane she won’t be seen in Tollywood.

Yes. She had decided to move to Mumbai. Before her foray into Tollywood she did few albums for Universal and T-Series and appeared in Munnabhai MBBS as well.

It’s not because of lack of offers but she is not happy about few things here. Her easy going and friendly attitude masked the hurt and and trauma "Check the Net to see what they write about me. ‘Din mein Savithri, raath mein... bla bla’. I am not happy about this. I don’t know who are writing all this," says the actress fed up with all this.

"If you have guts say it on the face. I will reply. Nobody has any right to talk ill of others. Of course by writing about me, they are earning their bread and supporting their families,"consoling herself.

Is this the sole reason behind her decision. "Not like that. I do need some change. I want to start my life afresh in Mumbai."

"Even some newspapers and channels are also doing the same thing. A newspaper quoted me saying that I have ‘tribal instinct’. I never spoke to them. Recently a Telugu TV channel ran a scroll for two days that a case has been filed against me which is not true," she says.

"If I want I can take action. But I don’t. What can I do yaar. I can’t do anything. We can’t shut them up. I am working hard and derive pleasure in what I do. The rest doesn’t matter to me," she clarifies.

She hopes that her latest film ‘Target’ will change her image."I am happy with the image I have. But a few in the industry think bad about me. I play a novel writer. It’s a very girly kind of role. I wanted to try out something different through the film," she says.

If superhit item numbers like 'Ippatikinka naa vayasu ninda padahare'... in the film Pokiri immortalised her, she made a quick transition into a heroine through the films, 'Operation Duryodhana','Mysamma IPS' and 'Managatayaru Tiffin Centre'.

HOME BUDDY

Mumaith is a home buddy. She loves homefood. She has three projects including A Kodandarami Reddy’s Punnaminagu and does not want to accept any more.

"I have only three projects left. Once they are done I will go back to Mumbai,"she says.

"My parents raised me up. Now its my duty to take care of them in their older years,"says Munnu who is the youngest of the three daughters and do not want to think of marriage at least for five years.

Mention her big ear rings, her face lights up and says,"My sister bought me this dress and ear rings when I was in China recently. I went there for a vacation. She is the number two in a big textile company." ....

Tamil film to be shot with cutting edge digital camera

CHENNAI: Tamil film 'Achamundu Achamundu' is being shot with the futuristic Red One HD 4K Camera and the publicist claims this is the first of its kind in India.

To be directed by Arun Vaidyanathan, 'Achamundu Achamundu' can be released in 35 mm as well as wide-screen after being edited completely on nonlinear digital editing systems.

The film will be dubbed into 13 international languages for global television and cinema audience after its initial opening in Tamil, said the publicist.

Tried out successfully by Steve Soderbergh in movies like the 'Lord Of The Rings' trilogy, but never done beyond Hollywood supervision, Red One's introduction to Indian cinema will provide a global platform for Tamil films and help the industry with infusion of additional markets to improve upon its content, said a statement released by Project East West A, the producer of the film.

The visual effects will be done by Sahara QED along with Jon Labrie. Madhusudanana, who handled the special effects in the Kamal Haasan starrer 'Aalavandaan', will assist Labrie.

The film stars Prasanna, Sneha and John Shea. ....

Hot Mallika’s Bachke Rehna Re Baba in Tamil

Following her skin show in Dasavathaaram, Mallika Sherawat seems to have become Tamil Nadu’s fave oomph girl Mallika Sherawat’s romance flick in 2005, Bachke Rehna Re Baba, is now being dubbed in Tamil as Mallika Kamini.

In the movie, she plays a seductress who plots to entrap wealthy men by her looks and then forces them to pay a ransom. Rekha plays Mallika’s aunt in this movie, which was directed by Govindh Menon.

The movie, though much talked about for Mallika's role, turned out to be a dud in the box office. Yet, it is awaiting release in Tamil Nadu in its dubbed version as Mallika Kamini, released by Mani Enterprises.

Likewise, the movie in which Shilpa Shetty and Shamitha Shetty acted together, Fareb, is also being dubbed and released as Kama sathileelavathy.

Yet another movie to be dubbed in Tamil and awaiting release now is Indralogathil Imsai Arasan, originally a Telugu movie Yamagola, in which Reema Sen plays a cabaret dancer. ....

Rambha back into Action

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Listen to Satyam Audio Songs

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Sakkarakatti Audio Launch

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Poi Solla Porom Audio Launch

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Priyamani rules the South

Normally, when a heroine wins a National Award, commercial directors and top heroes prefer to stay away from casting her. But for Priyamani who won the National and Filmfare awards for the best actress for her performance in Ameer's Paruthiveeran, things seems to be exceptionally good.

Commercial director Shankar, who was on a world tour location hunting for Robot, sent her an SMS congratulating her and expressing a desire to meet her. It is heard that they may sign a new project. Last week, she signed up for Bharath's Aarumugham to be directed by Suresh Krishna. She also stars in Prithviraj's Ninaithale Inikkum, a remake of the Malayalam movie Classmates; in Telugu, she is currently shooting for the Nitin starrer Drona.

She is also doing a Malayalam flick Thirakkatha with Prithviraj under the direction of Renjith. Priyamani's latest Telugu film Hare Ram with Kalyanram releases on July 18. It has not been a smooth ride for the actress, who did about 15 films in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam in her six-year celluloid journey. "It's not been a bed of roses. I have had my share of struggles to gain a foothold in the industry," she points out.

Earlier, gossipmongers romantically linked her to Vishal during the making of Malaikottai, and her steady boyfriend is said to be Telugu actor Raja. "I am not in love with anyone. I also consider myself fortunate not to have fallen in love as yet. I am single and I love being single. As far as Raja is concerned, we are just good friends.When I go to Hyderabad, we catch up with each other and often party together. Right now, I am in love with my work", the pretty actress revealed.

Source:Galatta.com

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'Kuselan' on August 1; plans 1200 prints

Breaking all records set by Sivaji and Dasavathaaram, which were released worldwide with an approximate number of 760 and 1,050 prints respectively, Superstar Rajinikanth starrer Kuselan, directed by P. Vasu, will be released across the globe with around 1200 prints, sources said.

Rajinikanth's blockbuster Sivaji: The Boss was released with 760 prints, out of which 300 had been released in Telugu, 303 in Tamil, 145 in overseas, and 12 in North India. Meanwhile, Kamal Hassan's magnum opus Dasavathaaram opened with approximately 1,050 prints in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

Some theatres in Chennai screened as many as 45 shows a day across 21 theatres as opposed to Rajinikanths Sivaji, which was released across 17 theatres in the city. Pyramid Saimira, worldwide distributors of Kuselan, is now involved in distributing the film in maximum theatres in India and overseas. The film is expected to hit North India with around 150 Prints.

Kuselan, which was delayed due to post production work, will be released on August 1. This bilingual movie, a remake of the Malayalam movie Katha Parayumbol, will be released simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu as Kuselan and Kathanayukudu respectively. It is learned that the movie will feature Rajinikanth in 20 costumes, including an Egyptian Paraoh.

Meanwhile, recently released audio CDs and cassettes of Kuselan have opened to record sales, with reports that more than 2 lakh CDs have been sold within just 2 days all over the world. Apart from CDs, 50000 cassettes were reportedly sold in rural areas, breaking Sivaji's audio sales record.

Source:Galatta.com ....

Ileana pairs up with Superstar

Ileana, aptly named after the mythical Greek beauty Helen of Troy, has been away from Kollywood for long. But recently, she made Tamil film-goers happy when she announced that she will act in K.S. Ravikumar's film opposite Vikram. Now, the fans are in for a double treat. And boy, what a treat it is! Ileana will pair up with superstar Rajinikanth for Sultan, The Warrior. Sultan, The Warrior, as you know, is an animation film produced by Soundarya's Ocher Studios and Adlabs.
This films hero is modelled after superstar Rajinikanth. Now, the heroine of this film will be modelled after Ileana. The Rajinikanth-Ileana pair will enact the screenplay in a special studio; these scenes will serve as models for animated scenes of the film. Filming starts next month. Ileana has agreed to give a 20-day schedule. Ileana said that she is happy to be acting in a Rajinikanth film and is very excited about it even though it is an animation film. She added that after all, almost all the animated scenes will be modelled after the scenes that Rajni and she will enact in the studio.

source:Galatta.com

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