Booking Plans Open For ‘Paiyya’

It’s rush hour for buffs of Karthi as they’re flooded with excitements as the booking plans for his next week’s release ‘Paiyya’ have already opened in various parts of Tamil Nadu.Right from yesterday morning, the theatre exhibitors have been advertising about the plans being opened. And of course, over fraction of minutes, the tickets over online were booked for the special shows on April 2 (Friday). Since, it’s a long weekend of Good Friday and Easter weekend, the theatre owners have been confident about ensuring house-packed shows.The film is produced by Lingusamy’s elder brother Subash Chandra Bose under the banner name of Tirupathi Brothers while Dayanidhi Azhagiri of Cloud Nine Productions will market and distribute the film across all centres…

Raavana’S Musical Magic From April

It’s high-time for Sony BMG as it would have a big boom with its business in months to come. Precisely, this is going to be a year of Rahman’s magic, which is expected to be recreated with Manirathnam.According to the sources, the audio launch of Manirathnam’s ‘Raavana’ will be held during the mid-week of ‘Raavana’ in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.With the plans made by Manirathnam to release the film on June 18 all over the World, it would be an apt time to launch the audio prior to couple of months before theatrical release.Apart from these three different versions of 'Raavana', A.R. Rahman's Telugu album 'Puli' is also expected to have its audio launch during same month. On the roll, it's going to be a thundering Rahamania for this season.

Bala’s ‘Avan Ivan’

Bala is at present directing ‘Avan Ivan’ that is supposed to be about 2 brothers.
The film stars Vishal, Arya, Janani and others. The shooting is going on in south Tamilnadu. Newcomer Janani is doing the role of a police officer. Yesteryear actress Ambika has an important role. She plays the mother of Arya.
There are re-mix songs in the film but what they are is a suspense. Music is by Yuvan Shankar Raja., dialogues by S Ramakrishnan. Bala is adapting the dialogues to suit his bani. Arthur Wilson is the cinematographer

Meenakshi is learning Tamil!

Meenakshi made her debut in Tamil film ‘Karuppusamy Kuthagaikaarar.’ She is from Bengal. Despite acting in a few Tamil films, she still is not fluent in Tamil.Meenakshi pairs with Karu Palaniappan, who is directing and acting as hero in ‘Mandhira Punnagai.’ Karu Palaniappan is not very happy about Meenakshi’s lack of fluency in Tamil. Since the actress will continue a career in Tamil films, he has made arrangements for her to be formally taught Tamil, especially since her character will shine in the film only if she shows prowess in Tamil.
Meenakshi herself is eager to learn Tamil!

Is actor Prakashraj to marry?

Prakashraj is a top actor in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. He recently received the National Award for his acting in ‘Kanjeevaram.’ He has decided to marry soon.
Prakashraj married Lalitha Kumari in 1994. They have 2 daughters. The relationship between Prakashraj and dance master Pony Varma has been a hot topic of gossip the last few months.
This led to a rift in relations between Prakashraj and Lalitha Kumari. He filed for a divorce and the two agreed to part amicably. The divorce came through. Following this, the romance between Prakashraj and Pony Varma progressed and it’s said the two started living together. They have now decided to tie the knot soon.

‘Yamma Yamma’ by Perarasu, TR

The ‘Ammadi Aathadi…’ duo is back. Perhaps encouraged by the reach of the ‘Vallavan’ song, Vijaya T Rajendar has once again crooned a number which has lyrics penned by Perarasu for the latter’s directorial venture ‘Thiruthani’.
The song ‘Yamma….Yamma….’ composed by Perarasu himself was recently recorded in Chennai and it was shot in and around Thenkasi on Bharath and Sunaina, the lead pair of the movie. Says Perarasu, “I am taking the avatar of a music composer in Thiruthani. All the songs have come out well with the one sung by Vijaya T Rajendar being the highlight. I admire TR a lot and follow his footsteps by donning many hats while making a movie.”
The filmmaker, who says his next film will be produced by himself, adds: “It will be a village based subject, which will be shot in Karaikudi and Usilampatti. I have a penchant for villages and one could have noticed it in my first two films- Thirupachi and Sivakasi.”

I enjoy my work: Tamannah

"Having tasted both success and failure in my career, I know how to go about my work, and I enjoy doing it", says Tamannah, whose second innings in Tamil cinema has made her the numero uno actress of south India.
While everyone attributes their success to hard work and dedication, the petite beauty says, "I am lucky. Fortune has come calling and it has helped me be where I am today".
The girl from Mumbai had a jinxed start to her career when she made her debut in Kollywood with 'Kedi'. However she overcame all odds with a spirited performance in 'Kalloori'. Also, the success of Telugu film 'Happy Days' propelled her career.
"I consider myself lucky to have made it big. There are umpteen number of actresses who also work hard, but success has been eluding them. Hence I am fortunate," she says.
About her forthcoming releases, she says, "I play an interesting role in ‘Paiyaa’. The moment director Lingusamy narrated the story to me, I fell in love with it. Vijay's 'Sura' features me in an interesting role, while rarely an actress can come across a role like the one I am doing opposite ‘Jayam’ Ravi in ‘Thillalangadi’."

'Avatar' scores 100 in India

James Cameron's magnum opus Avatar is a rare film that has scored a full century in India. The sci-fi adventure flick, which was released the world over on , reportedly is the highest grossing Hollywood film in India.
Released majorly in three Indian languages - namely, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil, and English, Avatar has grossed over Rs. 1.05 billion in this country. Since Titanic, directed by the same filmmaker-innovator, Avatar is probably the first most popular English language film in a country, which sees the release of over a thousand films.
The 3D collections of the film are estimated at forming 37% of the total collections. Trade pundits put the collections of the English version at half a billion rupees, while the Hindi version has collected Rs. 27 crores. The Telugu and Tamil versions combined have generated over Rs. 25 crores.
The major Hollywood drama has created unprecedented hype in India, with 24/7 channels playing a major role in encouraging all sections of Indians to watch the cult movie.

Shruthi admires Suriya

Shruthi is excited that her acting debut in Tamil will be with Suriya, in a film directed by A R Murugadoss and produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin.
“I am happy to be part of the project,” the eldest daughter of Kamal Haasan says, heaping laurels on the actor.
“I am a big fan of Suriya. He is one of the powerful actors we have today and I am thrilled to share the screen space with him. I guess we will make a great pair. I am eagerly waiting for the film to go on floors,” she says.
Denying reports that she is seeing ‘Boys’ fame Siddarth, Shruthi says, “We are good friends and he is a nice co-star. I learnt a lot from him. But there is no truth in reports that we are in love with each other.”
Saying she is planning to stay in Mumbai thanks to offers from Bollywood, the actress-musician adds, her heart however will always be in Chennai. “Because it’s my dad’s place and a city where I grew up. Chennai is where my heart is.”

WHY TRISHA OPTED OUT OF DHANUSH FILM

Director Vetrimaran revealed in an interview to a popular daily on replacing Trisha with Topsy in Aadukalam. Trisha was initially signed to play the lead role in the film opposite Dhanush, but the lady backed out later. Vetrimaran says that Trisha had participated in the first schedule of the shooting and shot some scenes for four days. But the team did not get permission to shoot in some of the locations they had planned and her dates expired.In the intermediate time, the lady bagged a prestigious offer in Bollywood and the team decided to let her go. Vetrimaran clarifies that there is no misunderstanding with Trisha. The director is also gung-ho about the project being marketed by Sun Pictures as he is sure it will give it a very big reach.

Happy And Confident Jeeva

‘Your ability to learn faster than your competition is your only sustainable competitive advantage’… A praiseworthy quotation by Arie de Gues remains as the heart and soul of Jeeva’s mantra now. When the youngest actors in town not more than 2-films old are hamming it up their roles as mass heroes, Jeeva seems to be an elision by keeping himself adhered to varieties.Not all actors in their initial phase of career would opt to do serious films lacking commercial elements and again Jeeva stood out on par with excellence. Naturally, his sudden shift over paradigms into commercial films has again yielded him favorable results.According to the closer sources, the actor seems to have made a decisive statement that his upcoming films will be a mix of offbeat, commercial and various genres. Right now, he has 2 more films – ‘Singam Puli’ and ‘Roudram’ rolling fast on floors simultaneously. Soon after the completion of these projects, he’ll instantaneously start shooting for K.V. Anand’s ‘Ko’ and Kannan’s ‘Vandhaan Vendraan’.Totting up about his strategy, Jeeva makes it clear that he wants to be a perfectionist rather than competing with other actors.

‘Clash Of The Titans’ With 800 Prints, 850 Theatres

Chennai is moreover turning to be an oasis for Hollywood producers as their films are leaping with big collections. Followed by the grand success of ‘2012’ and James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’, the producers and distributors have now decided to universal release for most for most of their Hollywood films.Next to keep us enthralled over screens will be Warner Bros Pictures’ ‘Clash of The Titans’ that will be released simultaneously in English, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi on April 2 for the occasion of Good Friday followed by Easter weekend.The film will be hitting screens in both 3D and 2D formats and is expected to witness a big opening. The stunning teasers and presence of Hollywood Superstar Sam Worthington have gradually raised everyone’s expectations. Sam has already gained more appreciations for his fantabulous performances in ‘Terminator Salvation’ and James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’.Louis Leterrier has directed “Clash of the Titans” from a screenplay by Travis Beacham and Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi.Producer Rama Narayanan of Sri Thenandal Films has acquired the rights over Tamil version titled as ‘Marmadesam’…

Vijay’S Sura Songs From March 29

A week back in time, buzzes about audio launch of ‘Sura’ slated to be held on March 26 was rapidly spread. But the latest reports have confirmed that the music release function will take place on the evening of March 29 at Lady Andal School, Chetpet.Since, its Sun Pictures releasing the film, they haven’t invited other media channels for the occasion. As of now, the decisions about live telecast on Sun network are yet to be made and it is expected to be a star-spangled occasion with who’s who of Kollywood gracing over this special event.With Mani Sharma’s previous albums with actor Vijay happening to be chartbusters, the entire lights are now turned on ‘Sura’ that brings duo combo back in action.Keep logging to this column for more updates on the audio launch of Vijay’s 50th film ‘Sura’.

GV Prakash’S Lidless Works

He wants to erase his identity of being addressed as A.R. Rahman’s nephew. Treading towards a progressive career, the young lad is continuously working day and night for many projects at the same time.But his preference seems to be Aarya’s ‘Madrasapattinam’ and Dhanush’s ‘Aadukalam’. Well, the music director has been sharing a great bond with these filmmakers Vijay and Vetrimaaran, which is something more than films.Away from the projects, these buddies keep freaking out playing games during weekends and get along for more time together. Recently, G.V. Prakash and director Vetrimaaran were recording songs together at Four Frames Recording Studio. On pars, he invites director Vijay to his recording studio mostly during night times.

Ajith Kumar’S Word Awaits Gowtham Menon

Confidence, determination and ability to withstand upheavals have extended a greater hand for the successful endeavor in filmdom. The actor is now curiously excited about his 50th film produced by Dayanidhi Azhagiri and signing up for Formula 2 Tournament.Gowtham Menon is inquisitively looking out for Ajith Kumar’s scheduling of racing sports as the tournament would be held in 8 different countries in Europe. Earlier, Gowtham Menon had plans about shooting this thriller film in London alone and now is on the pursuit of yet more locales.Meanwhile, the filmmaker is busy working on his next untitled film starring his manager and Sameera Reddy in lead roles. Since, it’s a 90mins feature-film, the shooting has been almost completed and post production works are simultaneously done.Ajith Kumar’s stylish looks over at the racing grids has already created more sensation in town as his fans have already started imagining how he would sport his looks when Gowtham is far-famed for projecting his actors with an excellent panache.

Lingusamy’S Lavish Treat For Anthony

So far, we’ve been coming across the facts that filmmakers do honor their actors and technicians after their film makes it big at box office. But here’s something that proves Lingusamy to be like chalk and cheese from those auteurs.According to the sources, Lingusamy has gifted his editor Anthony with a lavish car Chevrolet Beat, which happens to be a newly launched model in market. Of course, the entire team has gone irresistible with the filmmaker’s gestures as it doesn’t happen with many others.Right from the beginning, Anthony had considered ‘Paiyya’ to be a special project as he has been promoting the film with his vigorous word of mouth. In fact, he had mentioned that film’s narration is many times pacer than Lingusamy’s yesteryear’s runaway success ‘Run’.Is director Shankar aware about Lingusamy’s resplendent gift for Anthony?

Narain and Sangeetha clashes in tube light gowdown

Narain, Poonam Bajwa, Sangeetha, Prabhu and Meena are starring in the film Thambikottai. Ammu Ramesh is directing this film. While speaking about this film, the director said,” There is a commotion in Thambikottai.

Narain has been stabbed in this incident. I had shot the scene where his sister Meena consoles him in the hospital. Sangeetha who is not living with her husband runs a separate dynasty who threatens. She is doing the role of a don. I had shot the fighting sequence with her fighting Narain. I had shot this sequence in a tube light gowdown in Chennai.
I had utilized 200 cars for this sequence. We had spent few lakhs for this sequence. The shooting has taken place for 65 days. There will be a lot of people as bridge for lovers. But in this film Narain and Poonam Bajwa who are lovers are responsible for building a bridge. The climax fighting sequence happens in this bridge. To shoot these scenes the ultra modern photo sonic 35 mm has been utilized. These scenes will be a new experience for the audience.”

An interview with Sadha

Will you act in the film which has the significance for the heroine?
I have done such a role in a Telugu film. If the film flops, the blame falls on the heroine. So I am scared to act in such films. Instead of this I like to act in commercial films which would attract the audience.
Why this gap?

In between I was signed for three Hindi films. I had given continuous call sheet for these films; hence I was not able to act in Tamil films.
About Puli Vesham?
Before this, P Vasu had approached me to act in the Kannada film Aptharakshaka and other films. I had sometimes wept for not acting in his films. But now he has given me a good role in this film Puli Vesham. I am pairing with R K. According to the story, my role is mysterious. The mystery will be disclosed in the final scene only.
Earlier you have acted with big heroes?
Though I have acted in many Telugu films, I had acted in Jayam with a new face Jayam Ravi. Even in Unnale Unnale I had acted with Vinay who was a new face. When I select a film, I will not see who the hero is. I will always see who is the director, the role, the story and the producer. If I like any one of these I will agree to work in that film. Money is not important for me.
There is an image that you are doing homely roles?
I have changed this in Anniyan. I had come in modern dresses in the song sequences in this film. Glamour role is suitable for me. But I will not exceed my limitations.

Kamal Haasan – “Cinema is my happiness’

I am still looking cinema with daze. Cinema is filled with daze, thrill, perturb and happiness. On the day of my film’s release I will be seeing the face of the audience. The happiness and the cheerfulness on their face is real.

I actually wanted to work as a screenplay writer. Once when I went to Modern Theatres, I happened to see Kalaignar’s script. There were so many details and nuances in it. After seeing this I postponed this matter for another six years. There are lots of things to be forgotten by an actor. But in one matter they should be arrogant. You should not respect your earlier victory. I have no respect for myself. But I very often get perturbed.

I always take my early success has challenging. We should not be disturbed about failures. In cricket, if they lose, are they breaking their heads? They get ready for the next match. We should be like this. Nadigar Thilagam gave 13 continuous flops. If it was anybody else, they would not have survived. But his next 14th film ran for more than 200 days.Only he is capable of this.’
Kamal Haasan presented shields to Surya, Vadivelu, Ramesh Khanna, Manobala, Anand Babu, FEFSI Vijayan, Alex, actresses Saroja Devi, Nayanthara, director K S Ravikumar, producer Udhayanidhi Stalin. Co-producer Shenbagamurthy, music composer Harris Jayaraj, lyrists Na Muthukumar, Thamarai, choreographer Gayathri Raghuram and PRO Nikil Murugan.
Tamil film producers Council president Ramanarayanan, Kalaignar TV CEO Amirtham, Surya, Parthiban, Vadivelu, directors A R Murugadoss, Lingusamy, Dharani and music composer Harris Jayaraj also spoke on this occasion. Udhayanidhi Stalin did some charitable to visually disabled people and other orphanage homes on this occasion.

Karthik speaks to media

Karthik who is currently acting in Maanja Velu, Raavan and Puli Vesham was asked why there was a gap in his acting, he said,” People had given me an important place in cinema. I got lot of offers.

For some time I was sitting in the thorns and that is the reason for this gap. Now I have got up from it.” When asked him whether it was politics that her referred as thorns. Karthik to this quipped,” No. We were speaking about cinema and not politics.” Till the end he did not mention what that was meant.