Monday, July 29, 2013

Ajith is honest ;Vijay is cool: Photographer Chitrarasu

Popular still photographer Chitrarasu, a well-known name in Kollywood circles as Chittu, has talked about his working experience with Ajith Kumar and Vijay, the leading duo of heroes in Kollywood after the legendary Rajinikanth, in an interview with leading magazine. Chitrarasu finds Ajith as an extremely ‘honest’ minded guy while he finds Vijay as a ‘cool’ guy who rarely loses his composure.

Both Ajith and Vijay, who are known for their down-to-earth attitude during the shooting schedules. Saying that Chitrarasu also has commented in his opinion, Asin has been the perfect heroine to Vijay. Likewise, Nayantara has the perfect heroine for ‘Thala’ till day.

“Vijay looks good in casual outfits while Ajith looks magnificent in Veshti-shirt. Vijay makes it a point to make others working with him feel comfortable and doesn’t throw any starry tantrums. Ajith Kumar is a very honest guy and he expects others around him to be so also.

“Once Ajith gets close to a person, he extends help to that person in times of need without being asked to do so; that is his greatness,” says Chitrarasu, who has worked with Ajith in Billa,Asal and his upcoming film Aarambam as well as his untitled film directed by Siruthai Siva. With Vijay he is associated since the days of Pokkiri.

Censor Board refuses to give U certificate to Thalaivaa

Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s much awaited ‘Thalaivaa‘, slated for a grand release worldwide for Eid on August 9, is in trouble over censor board clearance. The officials of Censor Board have refused to give a clean ‘U’ certificate for the film.

Few days’ back there were rumors abuzz that Thalaivaa had been censored with a U certificate, but the on-ground reality appears to be different. On July 24, the action entertainer went for censor board clearance and was certified with an U/A certificate,stating the film was inappropriate for young children

Reportedly the regional censors went for ‘A’ certificate, and later on plea from the director and producer of the film, they revised their decision to U/A, and had asked the makers to remove some provoking scenes in order to award a clean ‘U’, which the makers are unable to agree with.

As the ‘U’ certificate is mandatory for the film to get an entertainment tax exemption, the stunned makers have now decided to approach the revising committee, to appeal against the censor board’s decision. “We will soon submit the movie before the revision committee,”, said producer Chandaraprakash Jain. If the revision committee too is willing to give U/A, the makers then would approach the Mumbai censor board for the clearance, it is learnt.

Ever since news came out that the film was titled Thalaivaa, there has been tremendous expectations among Vijay fans that this film could be a stepping stone of the actor to foray into politics. Directed by AL Vijay, the film has Vijay, Amala Paul and Sathyaraj in the lead. G V Prakash has composed the music and the song Vanganna Vanakamna sung by Vijay has turned out to be a great hit.

Sources close to Vijay, make allegations against the Tamil Nadu government over the censor clearance issue, which also last month denied permission to the actors birthday celebration.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Sonna Puriyathu review

Sonna Puriyathu is an upcoming Indian Tamil comedy film directed by debutant Krishnan Jayaraj, the former associate of CS Amudhan It features Shiva and Vasundhara in the lead roles.

Movie: Sonna Puriyathu
Directed by Krishnan Jayaraj
Produced by Saandika Amarnath
Written, Screenplay & Story: Krishnan Jayaraj
Star Cast: Mirchi Shiva as Shiva, Vasundhara Kashyap as Anjali, Manobala, Gangai Amaran, Blade Shankar, Vatsala Rajagopal as Shiva’s grandmother, Aarthi, Sam Anderson, Fivestar Krishna, R. S. Sivaji, Meera Krishnan as Shiva’s mother, Singamuthu, Saravanan, Halva Vaasu, Pradeep
Music: Yathish Mahadev
Cinematography: Saravanan
Editing: TS Suresh
Studio: 360 Degree Film Corp



It happens once in a while as the new breeze of themes foray into the screens of Tamil Cinema. Much prior to drawing the analysis of Sonna Puriyathu, a mere statement about would be a Desi-version of What happens in Vegas that was later translated into Hindi as Ek Main Aur Ek Tu. This film starring a rare combination of actors known for their energetic performance (Vasundhara has played a bubbly girl in both rural and urban shades) isn’t an exact replica of Cameron Diaz’s flick, but there are few similarities to strike here.



A dubbing artist by profession (Mirchi Shiva) is dead against getting married as he feels it to be a lifetime trap. Unable to meet the insistence of his mother, he agrees to marry a so-called traditional girl Anjali (Vasundhara), A TV anchor for spiritual shows. What this guy-n-gal discover is that they aren’t interested in spousal relationship.The drama set up by them to ruin the marriage preparation by family elders becomes perfect until they find themselves married after a hard night party.

What happens next? Just try to find out the rest over the screens, if you’re really a diehard fan of light-hearted feel good rom-com in Hollywood style.

First thing you’ll have to make sure before catching up with Sonna Puriyathu is just sit back, relax and don’t call for too much logic, sip your favourite drinks, munch in popcorns and kill your time with the rib-tickling moments. It all begins from Scene One, where Shiva leaves you in split with his Hindi version of ‘Rosaappu Chinna Rosaappu’ (Suryavamsam). What about his fun-filled dubbing for Hollywood films? Ah! You’ll find yourself in high-spirits with the dialogues of ‘Hidden Dragon Crouching Tiger’, Discovery Channel documentary on Gorilla love story, etc…

Usually, the love stories in Tamil Cinema comes as a package of emotions, but this one is a cool trendsetter that we see in western movies. On the flip side, there are few sluggish moments that hamper the screenplay, especially in second half, but that doesn’t extend for a long duration. Yes, it’s a film that would have been cut-short in duration making it as a 100-minute flick, but it’s all about catering to the taste of Tamil audience that adds up to bunch of songs. The introduction of Flash-Mob is a good idea, which gains back your memory of ‘Friends with Benefits’.



Mirchi Shiva, say the word and you’ll associate him for witty-liners and of course, this one is not an exception. Vasundhara fits this role so cute as a homely-turned-ultra modern chick. Manobala as the proprietor of Kaalkattu.com is chill pill and others in the cast are fine.

Such movies really need technical aspects as their backbone and if debut filmmaker Krishnan Jayaraj had grabbed sleek visuals and a best background score, the film would have been more appealing. For now, Sonna Puriyathu is a genre of pleasant watch that was introduced in Hollywood before decades.

Get yourselves involved in an enjoyable show with Sonna Puriyathu and walk out of theatres with your brains rejuvenated.

Pattathu Yaanai review

The film features Vishal and Aishwarya Arjun in the lead roles with Santhanam playing a supporting role.

Music was composed by Thaman, and the film released on July 26, 2013 alongside with its Telugu dubbed version Dheeradu.

Movie: Pattathu Yaanai
Directed: Boopathy Pandian
Produced: Michael Rayappan
Star Cast: Vishal as Saravanan, Aishwarya Arjun as Aishwarya, Santhanam as Poongavanam / Gouravam, Jagan, John Vijay, Ajay, Murali Sharma, Seetha, Mayilsamy, Pattimandram Raja, Vada Poche Sarithiran, Karthik Sabesh
Music: Thaman, Sabesh-Murali (bgm)
Cinematography: S. Vaithy
Editing: AL Ramesh
Studio: Global Infotainment Pvt Ltd
Distributed: Michael Rayappan, Vishal



Nothing seems to be different from Boopathy Pandian as his latest offering Pattathu Yaanai is yet another commercial potboiler in his own style. To make it simple, it’s a stereotypical Hero Vs Baddie and a girl remains to be the major cause for this conflict. Lets say, it’s a modified version of Vishal-Boopathy’s previous film Malaikottai that was deliberately made with the attempt of mixing humour with action.

Set in backdrops of Karaikudi, Gauravam (Santhanam) is a cook taking up catering orders. He has a 5-team member – Saadha Saravana (Vishal), Dosa Mani, Pongal Kumar, etc. Situations shift them to Trichy, where Saravana falls in love with a school-going teen Aishwarya (Aishwarya) at first sight. Things break loose out of hell as the confrontations begin between two gangs and what turns out to be more shocking is Saravana’s past in Madurai.

As mentioned earlier, Boopathy Pandian completely sticks to his ritual formulae of adding humour and action throughout the film. The first half completely belongs to Santhanam as his non-stop comedy sequence pulls you through the roller coaster laughter. In fact, he carries the entire first half (approximately 90mins) on his shoulders. But it’s a big disappointment to see him go miss in the second hour, but Boopathy Pandian uses his old technique of transforming the baddies into comedians. The prototyped narration of predictable screenplay diminishes your interest.



Vishal‘s underplayed performance in the first half giving more space for other actors is a justice to script, but his back-to-action pavillion doesn’t hold us intact. Vishal enjoying his life even after a serious past and there is no sense of emotional bond in him. Apparently, why couldn’t a powerful Kingpin leaves his prey from own territory and goes chasing after him after three years is an illogical factor.

Aishwarya Arjun could have gone for a better debut and she doesn’t carry more than 10 lines of dialogues in the entire film. She has to exert a lot of effort in expressions and body language. Santhanam is the showstopper and others in the cast like Jagan, John Vijay, Murali Sharma perform well to perfection. Vada Poche Sarithiran remains dumb throughout the film and he seems to have been purposely added for the sake of attraction.



On the technical front, S Thaman’s musical score is okay with a couple of songs scoring high. The cinematography by Vaithy is quite appreciable.

Overall, Pattathu Yaanai carries the trace of Vishal’s previous films. It looks like humour and action should have been the top priority of Boopathy Pandian and he fails to impress us with an engaging screenplay. But if you’ve decided to watch this film, just get-in-and-get-out without thinking twice about it.

Friday, July 26, 2013

‘Arrambam’ Ajith’s Last Dialogue In Billa 2

Ajith Kumar’s much anticipated movie with director Vishnuvardhan, has finally named the movie as Arrambam. The movie was untitled since one and a half years. Officially, on July 25, movie bosses named Ajith’s 53rd movie as Arrambam.

Now the title has become a mystery in the minds of Ajith fan’s and Tamil audience. The actor made his last appearance in Billa 2, where the movie ends with the Ajith saying, “Idhu Dan Arrambam (This is my beginning)”. ‘Arrambam’ Ajith’s Last Dialogue In Billa 2 Billa 2 Ajith Kumar Billa 2 Story Cast & Crew Fanspeak Videos Photos View All As soon as the crew named the movie as Arrambam, movie critics thought that the movie would be the continuation of Billa 2. Vishvuvardhan directed Billa in 2007, which had Ajith, Nayantara and Namitha in the lead roles.

After the grand success of Billa, Thala Ajith came up with Billa 2 in 2012, which was not directed by Vishnuvardhan. But the movie failed to reach Ajith’s fans expectations. Now the question among the movie experts is whether director Vishnuvardhan is aware of the coincidence with movie title and Billa 2 climax dialogue? Arrambam has Ajith, Nayantara, Aryan and Taapsee in the lead role and the movie is expected to hit screens in September.

Amazing August

Ah, Amazing August All of you! That’s a lot of AAAA’s indeed. August will be Kollywood’s turn of showering movies upon us, and some of the movies lined up for this month are pretty ooosooom! So let’s take a look at a few movies that are pretty sure to be released in the month of August.


555:
Directed by Sasi, this movie brings back Bharath after a brief hiatus. The movie is touted to be an action thriller and Bharath sports a toned look that will give a run for all of present heroes. Mrithika, Santhanam form the rest of the lead cast. Music by has come out reasonable well, and this movie is expected sometime in August. Actor Bharath is counting a lot on this movie, so let us wait and watch indeed.

Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal:
Producer cum Actor Udhaynidhi stalin is doing his second film and now that he has won the award for the best male debut actor, his morale should be pretty high. Paired up with Nayan who will make her come back after a while, the film also has Santhanam in a pivotal role. To be directed by Sundarapandiyan fame Prabakaran, has Harris Jeyraj doing the music.
Biryani:
Karthi will be licking his wounds after Alex Pandian to deliver a blockbuster and he has indeed teamed up with the right guy; Venkat Prabhu. The movie’s expectation is quite high as both the stars are known to have a knack for comedy and action. As usual Premji will be a part of this crew, which also has Yuvan’s blockbuster music.
Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam:
Abbreviated as VVS has two of Tamil Cinema’s humor kings in the movie, one the fast, fresh and young Siva Karthikeyan and the other is the King of irony and sarcasm, Sathyaraj. Also it’s being directed by Ponram a former associate of Rajesh, so comedy’s crux point is here everyone. Imman’s love of folk fare has not died down and the highlight of music has been Siva’s singing, so there is lot in store from this movie.
Ivan Vera Madiri:
As is the title, so is the theme of the movie. Directed by Saravanan, this movie is the next of Vikram Prabhu, so there will be a lot expectation from this lad on how he progresses on to the next stage. The movie’s audio launch scheduled to be round the corner, and so knowing Saravanan this will be a film to watch out for.
Thanga Meengal:
After a lot of thinking and planning, Ram’s direction and acting come together for Thanga Meengal. Touted to essay the sensitive side of Father-Daughter side of the story not oozing out without a strong message on the view of education in the society, this movie is a sure shot release in the month of August. Music is yet again Yuvan for Ram, who made records break for Kattradhu Tamizh.
Thalaivaa:
The best is always saved for the last, yes the man of the hour is Thalaivaa. After outright trailers and mass appeal of songs, Vijay’s magnum opus is here fellas. Plenty of films will make way for Thalaivaa in August as it has a Vijays showdown in director and acting department. Also in the cast are Sathyaraj, Amala Paul and Santhanam. GV Prakash and his music are rallying across FM’s already. So,Red hot expectation steams around Thalaivaa.

Apart from these movies, there are also unconfirmed release dates of a few movies like Desingu Raja, Ya Ya, Vanakkam Chennai and so on

So folks, ready for a roller coaster ride of movies? Which one of these movies is making you wait longer? Flock your comments people!

Preview : Onaiyum Aatukuttiyum

It is a well known fact that renowned director Mysskin’s upcoming movie is ONAIYUM AATUKUTTIYUM under his own banner LONE WOLF productions..Shree playing a vulnerable lamb and Mysskin portraying a cunning wolf.. right from playing a deranged person in Nandhalala to this dangerous and crafty wolf in Onaiyum Aatukuttiyum, Mysskin the actor has always delivered quality, intense performance..Needless to say that the director and the creative he is, has an image of his own as a out spoken and practical man…Now after watching Onaiyum Aatukuttiyum’s teaser, which has got an awesome response among the public, we get to see the daredevil side of Mysskin..

The stunt sequences, especially the one where Mysskin jumps off from a fast moving train has sent everyone shocking and some even don’t believe that this is real…Stunt master ‘Billa’ Jagan, who choreographed this sequence says, ”when we planned this sequence, i wanted to use a dupe, especially for the moving train jumping shot because of the speed and the dangerous posts and pillars along the railway track but director and actor Mysskin was adamant on doing it himself despite the huge risk involved, to get the jump look real.. Mysskin sir was against ropes, green screen and CG gimmicks.. In fact he did not even rehearse for the jump.. He straight away went for the take!!! He was not happy with his first jump and he did it again to get what exactly he wanted!! The outcome was simply mind blowing.. Hats off to him for pulling off such a stunt..take a bow master!!! I have heard a lot about Mysskin’s sir’s intensity, commitment and hard work before but this one left me speechless…I am proud to be associated with this great creator and sure the audience are going to love this movie..”

‘Balle Laka’ Singer Becomes Designer

Singer, designer, creative personality and wife of producer Dhayanidhi Alagiri, Anusha Dhayanidhi was the impressive behind the track ‘Balle Laka’ from Ajith starrer ‘Mankaatha’. The concerned hubby Dhayanidhi has now roped in Anusha to design costumes for his next production venture. Speaking on her career in the industry, Anusha says “My husband is very supportive.

He constantly keeps pushing me to stage my creativity. When I sang ‘Balle Laka’, he was the happiest person I’ve ever come across. After that, he had been insisting that I must put my design brains to use in the industry. And now, he has offered me a chance in his own film.

However, I would like to hold an independent mark of recognition in the industry.” Anusha will be designing clothes for actor Jai’s next film, with debutante director Saravanan. She further added that she will be using vibrant colours throughout the film, for a feel good appeal.

Vidiyal producer files a complaint against Sarath Kumar in Chennai Court

Sundararajan, producer of the upcoming Sarath Kumar-Sneha starrer Vidiyal, has filed a case with a Chennai Court accusing Sarathkumar of ‘deliberately delaying’ the making of the film thereby causing him losses to the tune of several lakhs.

The period film Vidiyal was launched in 2010 and has been directed by K.S. Selvaraj . The film’s completition progressed at a very slow ate as the shoots were never scheduled for a bulk date. To add to the woes of the film’s slow-progress, Sarath Kumar had a fall from the horse during the shooting of a stunt sequence and suffered fracture in the hips which made him take complete rest for a few months.

In the meanwhile, Sneha got married and Sarath reportedly started concentrating on other projects in Malayalam and Tamil. Now that four years have gone by since the film was launched and there is no trace of the film releasing in the near future, the producer has finally filed a case against Sarath Kumar accusing him of being solely responsible for the delay.

“As Sarath assured me that the film would be produced within a budget of Rs.4.25 crores, I paid Rs.91 lakhs as advance amount to him and signed him up. However, he neglected starring in our film and had gone ahead and finished his film (Chennaiyil Oru Naal) which had also been released. I, therefore, want the money paid to him returned to me along with interest applicable,” he has stated in his petition.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Mariyaan Struck Right Chord With Audience

Dhanush-starrer Tamil romantic-drama Mariyaan, which released July 19, has received an overwhelming response from audiences and an elated Bharatbala says that the love story in his directorial venture kept everyone engrossed.

“The response has been phenomenal. I have been watching the film over the last few days with the audience in many theatres and realised they are enjoying it to the fullest. Audiences were immersed in the love story till the end,” Bharat Bala told IANS.

“People usually sit back and relax or even take a break during the songs in a film, but it wasn’t the same with Mariyaan. Audiences didn’t move from their seats because even the songs had a story to tell,” he added.

Mariyaan, inspired by true events, is the story of an Indian held captive in Sudan. It featured Dhanush and Parvathi Menon in the lead roles. Bala believes Dhanush and Parvathi’s performances were like the icing on the cake.

“Dhanush was definitely an attraction. But the credit can’t be handed over to him completely because Parvathi was equally powerful in her role and even the story managed to impress,” he said.

” Dhanush and Parvathi breathe life into the story. I’m also sure people also have other reasons to like the film,” he added. Bala believes the film must have broken even by now as it continues to have high occupancy even on week days.

When asked about his next project, he said, “I have a few scripts in place, but I haven’t zeroed in on what’s next. I think it’s too soon to think about it.”

Dhanush Finds Hindi Difficult

After his much acclaimed role in Bollywood, through ‘Raanjhnaa’, Dhanush has recently revealed to an interview that of the many other things, Hindi language is very difficult to learn. The actor has been visiting trainers off and on to get his language right, for Bollywood. In an account by the actor’s brother, director Selvaraghavan, Dhanush toils hard for each of the role that he dons on screen.

Quoting Aishwarya Dhanush’s directorial debut ’3′, the actor himself said “My role in ’3′ was challenging. I had to visit a psychiatrist every time before shooting my portions, and get my body language approved to be of that like one suffering from bipolar disorder. At the end of the whole shooting schedule, I felt that I may really be affected by bipolar disorder.” Anyway, we would like to wish Dhanush all success, in learning Hindi.

Dhanush Finds Hindi Difficult

After his much acclaimed role in Bollywood, through ‘Raanjhnaa’, Dhanush has recently revealed to an interview that of the many other things, Hindi language is very difficult to learn. The actor has been visiting trainers off and on to get his language right, for Bollywood. In an account by the actor’s brother, director Selvaraghavan, Dhanush toils hard for each of the role that he dons on screen.

Quoting Aishwarya Dhanush’s directorial debut ’3′, the actor himself said “My role in ’3′ was challenging. I had to visit a psychiatrist every time before shooting my portions, and get my body language approved to be of that like one suffering from bipolar disorder. At the end of the whole shooting schedule, I felt that I may really be affected by bipolar disorder.” Anyway, we would like to wish Dhanush all success, in learning Hindi.

Dhanush, The Box Office King

Dhanush starrer Mariyaan which released on July 19, has started looting the Box Office. The latest buzz says that Dhanush’s Bollywood debut Raanjhanaa, which released on June 21 is still active in Box Office collection.

Raanjhanaa is a romantic flick starring Dhanush and Sonam Kapoor, directed by Anand L Rai. Reportedly it is said that the movie has crossed 100 crore, worldwide in the Box Office.

With the two back to back hits of Mariyaan and Raanjhanaa, National award winning actor Dhanush has emerged as Box Office king of the year. With the success of Raanjhanaa, Dhanush has joined the 100 crore club in Bollywood.

To celebrate the success of the movie, Raanjhanaa team is having a grand event in Mumbai today (July 24). After winning Best Actor title in Idea South Filmfare Awards and Mariyaan’s success, its Dhanush event again.

Raanjhanaa deals with the story of Muslim girl falling in love with a Hindu Boy, the movie also features Abhay Deol, Swara Bhaskar and Zeeshan Ayub in the lead roles.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Would Nayan agree to pair up opposite Sundar C?

It’s not clear as yet as to whether or not Nayanthara would agree to star in Sundar C’s new film opposite him. Fresh from the success of his Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru which starred Siddharth and Hansika in lead roles, Sundar has announced the launch of his new film titled Aranmanai.

Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru, which also had comedian Santhanam essaying a prominent role in it, marks Sundar’s back-to-back success at the box-office following last year’s Kalakalappu which had Vimal, Siva, Anjali and Oviya Helen in lead roles. The film, which is a laugh-riot, had easily overtaken the box-office collections of Thillu Mullu, the other major film which released on the same day a few weeks back.

Titled as Aranmanai, at least two leading heroes who had worked with Sundar C in the past had expressed their interest to star in the film after hearing about the script. However, Sundar is said to be having other ideas. Sources close to the film-maker say that he is seriously contemplating returning to acting. Either way, he would be the director of the film, it is pointed out.

Feelers have been sent to Nayanthara, who has been on a comeback trail in Kollywood post her split from Prabhu Deva. It, however, remains to be seen as to whether or not Nayanthara would pair up opposite Sundar C in the film. It may be noted that she is also the heroine of Udhayanidhi, a rank newcomer, in Idhu Kathirvelan Kaadhal, one of her upcoming films.

Kutti Puli – Tamil Movie Review

Sasikumar realised his strength and weakness at the early stage of his career. As as result, he always choose to make a film with rural settings. His biggest hits were Subramaniapuram, Naadodigal and his last film Sundarapandian. And it is obvious that he prefers a rural-backdrop film than making a movie for urban audience. Has he succeeded once again with Kutti Pulti? Continue reading the review to know it…

It is said that improvisation is the need of the hour in cinema, but Sasikumar seems to be pushing it under the carpet by continuing to do mass-appeal films. He may be successful, but he should not forget the fact that success will not stay with him forever if he continues to make similar films.

Story
Kutti Puli (Sasikumar) was brought up single-handedly by his mother after he lost his father at a young age in a local gang rivalry. His mother does not want him to be like his father. Unfortunately, he does grow up to be like his father and even picks up the same traits that got his father killed.

No matter how hard his mother tries, her efforts only prove futile because Puli lives by his own principles. However, she believes if she could get him married then probably he may turn responsible and take control of his life. But Puli is against marriage because he believes that with so many people who wish to see him dead, his future wife may have live like his mother, who was left behind by his father.

What makes Puli change his mind and eventually agree to marry? This forms the rest of the story. The film very subtly highlights the two most important women in our lives, mother and wife, who have very pivotal parts to play. Even though the film is a commercial entertainer at heart, debutant director Muthaiah has played the sentimental card extremely well to keep the audiences hooked through certain emotional moments.

Simbu wants to live like Ajith and Shalini

STR and Hansika Motwani after several months of Hide-Seek finally revealed their relationship on their respective twitter accounts.

The latest buzz on the couple is that they wish to lead their love life like Ajith and Shalini. In an interview to a regional portal STR said,

“With my parents permission, I will marry Hansika Motwani and we both will lead a happy life like Ajith and Shalini.”

The genesis of their relationship dates back to the start of Vaalu where friendship slowly materialized into Love between the couple. Though the couple have been saying that they will marry only after 5 years, Sources reveal that STR- Hansika Motwani will tie the knot in another 2 years after STR’s sister Ilakkiya gets married.

Meghna Raj makes heads turn

Unlike most other 23-year-olds, actress Meghana Raj has been busy making her mark and carving a niche for herself.

The actress has just finished filming 100 Degree Celsius, Memories and Raja Hulli, her Kannada flick with Yash. That’s not all, her next Sandalwood film, Bahuparaak, will be her 28th movie in the last five years.

Her new svelte avatar has left quite a few heads turning, but the actress confesses that her Malayalam fans prefer her when she was chubby .
“I did not lose weight to get more films or because someone asked me to. I did it because I realised that I had to look after my health,“ she says. The sultry actress has lost over 10 kgs in the last two months.

“Raja.. happened soon after I toned up. Since I am playing a 17-year-old schoolgirl, with glimpses into her past life. I had to lose more weight to look the part,“ she states. Memories, her other film can probably be placed on the other end of the spectrum, at least as far as her role is concerned. “It is a love story that revolves around Prithviraj’s character, while mine forms the base for rest of the characterisation in the film.“ From playing a schoolgirl in one film to performing the role of a mother in the next, while most would sweat, Meghana says it was a breeze. “I can mould into my character with utmost ease. The fact that I have had such a variety of roles has also helped me in adapting to the different requirement.“

Meghana Raj, who has been more famous in other industries than in Sandalwood says it wasn’t intentional. “I accepted my first film on sheer impulse, throwing everyone, including my folks off guard,“ she adds. She agrees that being a star kid did give her the required leverage needed to get into the industry and that the only thing she ever knew she wanted was to be a part of films.

“Though in between I did have a phase when I wanted to become a doctor and then join the Indian Army, thankfully I realised soon enough that my true calling was cinema,“ says the ardent dog lover who thinks one of her dogs is her mother’s horcrux. “Every time my mother leaves home, Honey (the Pomeranian) keeps an eye on me.“

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Venkat Prabhu adds the final touch to his Biriyani

We had exclusively reported 10 days back, that Venkat Prabhu's Biriyani is nearing completion as the talkie portions had been shot and all that remained was a song which would be shot in a grand set erected in Binny Mills, Chennai in the middle of July.

Venkat Prabhu has now completed all these pending commitments for the movie and Biriyani is now ready to be served. All that remains is the parceling and packaging (post-production) and fans will then be able to taste, what the Mankatha director has come up with.

Kalyan Master has choreographed this last number apparently and with Yuvan's peppy music for company , we ought to have a winner again.

Biriyani would be Hansika's next release following her back to back superhits in the form of Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru and Singam 2.

''My brother taught me acting'', Dhanush's candid talk

'Man of the moment' Dhanush and Maryan's director Bharat Bala, met television viewers in a lively interaction and they were bombarded with a variety of interesting questions by fans, who were eager to get to know the story behind Maryan and also about the other facets of Dhanush.

To a question on who taught him the basics of acting, Dhanush was frank to admit that it was his brother Selvaraghavan who instructed him on how to face the camera without fear and also on the other nuances on emoting.

He also mentioned the names of other directors such as Balu Mahendra, Vetrimaaran and Bharat Bala for teaching him different dimensions of the art. Even directors such as Suraaj, Subramaniam Shiva and Bhoopathy Pandian were credited by Dhanush for instilling fine comedy sense in him.

Ultimately Dhanush confessed that he was just at the right place and right time thanks to God's blessings, for having met all these directors who have molded him into what he is today.

Confirmed: Hansika In Love With Simbu

After the big success of Singam 2, the film’s lead lady Hansika Motwani is in news again. The gossip about her relationship with Simbu, which created buzz in Kollywood, has got a clarification from the duo.

Hansika and Tamil actor Silambarasan aka Simbu have confirmed that they are in a relationship. However, Simbu says any decision related to their marriage will be taken by their respective families. All these days, Hansika was rubbishing whenever she was asked about her link-up with Simbu. But now, Hansika has confirmed it on Twitter.

“Been hearing to many rumours abt my life personal life, so jus wana clear. yes! I’m seeing Str  hence I wouldn’t like to talk about my personal life,” Hansika tweeted this morning. Confirming the news Simbu tweeted, “Yes, I’m with Hansika and right now she is doing really good and marriage will be decided by our family. (I) hope you will respect our privacy.”

Two Air India pilots derostered for flying Nithya Menon in the cockpit

With her dark curls and an innocent smile there is no doubt that Nithya Menon has an aura that can make the opposite sex weak at the knees. Unfortunately for a selected few, her charm has done more harm than good. Well, the pilots who offered to fly her over on the Bangalore/Hyderabad flight recently are in deep trouble. Apparently, both the pilots namely – S Kiran and Jagan M Reddy, were obliged as the actress sought permission to sit beside them in the cockpit!

Fascinated by her star power, they let her in!!! Little did they know that close observers around could get them a suspension in no time. In fact, even though the flying rules clearly state that the cockpit seat is primarily reserved for examiners authorized by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and co pilots, the flyer’s broke the law at their own comfort risking lives of other passengers on board.

Regarding which the DGCA chief Arun Mishra disclosed in a press meet.“Air India’s a reputed name in the aviation industry and we cannot tolerate careless management at any degree. We have sent a detailed report to the Civil Aviation Ministry. I am sure there will be a decision on this issue” Post this incident, Nithya Menon has been staying away from pubic glare as she looks forward to her Tamil-Telugu bilingual – Malini 22 Palayamkottai.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Preview : Onaiyum Aatukuttiyum

It is a well known fact that renowned director Mysskin’s upcoming movie is ONAIYUM AATUKUTTIYUM under his own banner LONE WOLF productions..Shree playing a vulnerable lamb and Mysskin portraying a cunning wolf.. right from playing a deranged person in Nandhalala to this dangerous and crafty wolf in Onaiyum Aatukuttiyum, Mysskin the actor has always delivered quality, intense performance..Needless to say that the director and the creative he is, has an image of his own as a out spoken and practical man…Now after watching Onaiyum Aatukuttiyum’s teaser, which has got an awesome response among the public, we get to see the daredevil side of Mysskin..

The stunt sequences, especially the one where Mysskin jumps off from a fast moving train has sent everyone shocking and some even don’t believe that this is real…Stunt master ‘Billa’ Jagan, who choreographed this sequence says, ”when we planned this sequence, i wanted to use a dupe, especially for the moving train jumping shot because of the speed and the dangerous posts and pillars along the railway track but director and actor Mysskin was adamant on doing it himself despite the huge risk involved, to get the jump look real.. Mysskin sir was against ropes, green screen and CG gimmicks.. In fact he did not even rehearse for the jump.. He straight away went for the take!!! He was not happy with his first jump and he did it again to get what exactly he wanted!! The outcome was simply mind blowing.. Hats off to him for pulling off such a stunt..take a bow master!!! I have heard a lot about Mysskin’s sir’s intensity, commitment and hard work before but this one left me speechless…I am proud to be associated with this great creator and sure the audience are going to love this movie..”

PRABHU DEVA’S SHOCK TO HEROINES

Choreographer-actor turned filmmaker Prabhu Deva is on the top of charts for his Bollywood now. Following a couple of back-to-back blockbusters, he is awaiting the release of his third movie ‘Ramaiya Vastavaiya‘ that is scheduled for release on July 19.

At the same time, the actor is busy shooting for his next movie titled ‘Rambo Rajkumar‘ that stars Shahid Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles. Meanwhile, he is on the pre-production process for his next film with Ajay Devgn that stars three heroines in female lead characters.

While Sonakshi Sinha and Yami Gautham are already on the list, many heroines in Bollywood approached Prabhu Deva for the third heroine character. But to their shock, he has signed Femina Miss India title winner Maanasvi.

Rajinikanth's 'Kochadaiyaan' trailer releasing on June 9th

Here's some good news for all Rajinikanth fans. The much awaited trailer of Rajinikanth's highly anticipated movie ‘Kochadaiyaan’ is finally ready to release. The latest buzz is that the trailer is hitting on coming Sunday (June 9). But it is not clear whether it is yet another baseless speculation or it is true, as the movie bosses have not confirmed the news.

The trailer of the film is supposed to be released in Cannes but it was cancelled at the last moment .

Sources say that Soundarya Rajinikanth, the director of the movie is working on the trailer but there is no official confirmation from her on the trailer release date. Soundarya has tweeted that "Hey guys ... I connect with u directly. Any updates about movie I will give u. Pls don't believe rumours. Have a great day !"

'Kochadaiyaan' is a historical-fiction, which tells the story of Pandya King Kochadaiyaan Ranadheeran. The film also features Deepika Padukone, Jackie Shroff, Sarath Kumar, Shobana, Aadhi and others in the cast.

The movie is jointly produced by Eros International and Media One Global Entertainment. It has music by AR Rahman and cinematography by Rajiv Menon. The film will be simultaneously released in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English.

Nayanthara pairs up opposite Jayam Ravi in Raja’s next

The irresistible combination of Jayam Ravi and Jayam Raja is back: the brothers who had combined to deliver many super-duper hits in the past are all set to work together again in a new film which would have Ravi pairing up opposite Nayanthara for the first time.

Ravi is presently starring in Samuthirakani’s Nimirnthu Nil opposite Amala Paul and in Kalyan Krishnan’s Boologam opposite Trisha. After wrapping up shoot of both these films, Ravi might start to work in elder brother Raja’s new film which remains untitled as yet. As such, the film is likely to go to floors only in September-October.

The brothers haven’t worked with each other after the moderate hit Thillalangadi which released more than three years back. The film is to be produced by Kalpathi’s AGS Entertainment. Though the film’s muhurat has been held some back, the film’s shoot is yet to commence.

Nayan was to play Ravi’s heroine in Santosh Subramaniam itself; that role eventually went to Genelia D’Souza. Due to her busy schedule, Nayan couldn’t allot dates for Ravi’s film at that time. The much-awaited pairing in Tamil films is finally falling in place in the new film. Nayan, on a comeback trail in Kollywood at present, is starring in Ajith’s new film and with Arya in Raja Rani besides the heroine-oriented Anamika.

Mariyaan – Movie Review

Bharath Bala’s Mariyaan is getting a huge response all over. As we all know, Dhanush is an excellent actor, and he has again proved this with Mariyaan.

The movie has benefited Dhanush and Bharath Bala. After smashing B-Town audience with Raanjhanaa, Dhanush is all set to impress his native audience again.

Mariyaan deals with the story of construction fishermen (Dhanush) who will be having a close bond towards sea, as it is the place where he earns his livelihood. He calls himself a ‘Prince of Ocean’. The way he earns his livelihood is shown in more adventurous way. More than Dhanush’s love interest, Panimalar (Parvathi Menon) has played the role of a model wife, who forces Dhanush to change his job and asks him to go to Sudan. The movie takes a turn at this movement.

In some point of the time, the movie reminds us the recent releases, Mani Ratnam’s Kadal and Neeraparavai.

The camera work of the international fame, Marc Koninckx is remarkable, the music by AR Rahaman will keep the audience humming even after they are out of theatre.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Hansika Motwani denies her 'Love' status with STR

In the recent times, there was a heavy rush of calls over air that Silambarasan and Hansika Motwani are getting married shortly. Especially, the Telugu satellite channels relentlessly kept airing this news, which has seriously affected Hansika Motwani.

Cinema News From Tamilomovie.com

Gallery - Endrendrum Movie Audio Launch

The actress on clarifying such news says that they are baseless rumours. "Since I have paired with him in a couple of three films doesn't mean, we are in love", says Hansika Motwani, who shares screen space with the young superstar in Vaaliban, Vettai Mannan and Vaalu. The actress says that Simbhu is a friend like any other co-stars of her film.

The actress is now rejoicing in cloud nine for the grand success of Singam 2. She has now paired with Sivakarthikeyan for the film Maan Karate. When asked about her marriage plans, she said, "For now, my complete focus is on films and I will marry the groom whom my parents decide..."

Priyanka Chopra turns 31, B-Town wishes her more success

Bollywood's 'desi girl' Priyanka Chopra, who turned 31 Thursday, has been wished love, luck and success galore by her friends and colleagues from the Hindi film fraternity.

The actress has been on a roll, courtesy the widely appreciated 2012 film "Barfi!", and for her international singles "In my city" and the recently-released "Exotic". She has also been busy working on the biopic on boxing Olympic medallist Mary Kom.

Despite her father's demise in June, Priyanka, a former beauty queen, returned to work at the earliest.

After a career of over a decade in the industry, the actress is one of the most formidable names, with hits like "Krrish", "Don", "Fashion" and " Agneepath" under her belt. She won a National Award for her portrayal of a model in Madhur Bhandarkar's "Fashion".

Here's what the industry members had to say:

Madhur Bhandarkar: Priyanka Chopra my heartiest wishes to you on your birthday. Have a successful year filled with success and glory. Happy Birthday.

Bipasha Basu: Happy Birthday, Priyanka Chopra. Wish you happiness forever. Love and Hugs!

Anubhav Sinha: Some people were created special. One was born this day. Love. Peace. Happiness. Hugs and the rest of everything special, Priyanka Chopra.

Alia Bhatt: Happy Birthday to the lovely Priyanka Chopra. Have the greatest year!!! Lots of love and hugs to you.

Genelia D'Souza: Happy Birthday to the hottest ever Priyanka Chopra, have a good one babe, lots of love.

Vikram Phadnis: Happpy Birthday Priyanka Chopra. A great year ahead of love and prosperity.

Sophie Choudry: Happy Birthday Desi Girl! May your year ahead be more exciting, successful and exotic than ever! Big hug and loads of love.

Vishal Dadlani: Happy Birthday, Priyanka Chopra. Much love and luck, joy and success, always.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Theeya Velai Seiyanum Kumaru - Theeya Vela Senjitanga indeed!

He is a man who has made comedy with the evergreen pair of Goundamani-Senthil, then with Vaigai Puyal Vadivelu, acted along with funny man Vivek, and now with the trendy comedian in Kollywood Santhanam, the director needs no more of an introduction. Sundar C is back after his Kalakalapu ruled the roost of hilarity for some time and now with an array of mainstay actors; Siddharth, Hansika, Ganesh V, Santhanam, RJ Balaji, Bosskey and phew the list is huge. UTV pictures Dhananjayan is kicked to release this movie in Telugu and Tamil, so let's see what Kumar's big plan to entice was.

Yaru intha Kumaru:

Sundar C's movies always have comedy as an integral part and come what may he always sticks to his genre of amusement. The movie is about a shy boy Kumar (Siddharth) who works in an IT company, most of us can easily relate to Kumar, the geek who would have fallen for the most beautiful girl (Hansika) in the team. And as usual there will be a dude (Ganesh) who can charm the ladies with a single hi-fi. The story weaves out with Kumar tumbling in love and the scenes involving the working environment is a little immature, however considering a movie with the sole intention of fun, the thought is pushed to the back of our head.

Well, how do you win a girl's heart? Boy there is an infinite list of Love guru's in Tamil Cinema and to join the league is "Mokia" (Santhanam). Santhanam sure has become a bankable star and the entry he makes these days is double the size of Hero's cocktail. However you definitely would compare his role of a Love consultant to Will Smith's "Hitch". His formula is simple "One idea = One credit card swipe" and they simply bring the house down with yummy jokes. So with the help of a Love Guru, Kumar ditches on frantic attempts to win the heart of Sanjana. The scenes leading up to these attempts are sidesplitting and so hilarious they never fail to make you giggle.

After numerous swipes of credit card and bribing dozens of players the love slowly blossoms, however the twist is the trump card of this movie. A truth so bitter for the Love guru that he tries to break the fort of love that he built, and the rest of the movie unveils if Love does win or not. Throughout the movie Kumar is done and dusted with the techniques of flirting, love and yes, beating as well. Does he still board the train of love after all these antics? Well watch and find out.

Theeya Vela senjitangala?

Yes! A sense of contentment is what you get, as you walk out of the theatres. The movie entirely basks on power packed humor scripts of Sundar C's wit lab and the USP are clear one liners and easy going jokes indeed. The Director has a flair for comedy and it's absolutely evident on how much he has utilized Siddharth's innocent looks and Santhanam's rib-tickling blabbering. One look at Siddharth is enough to realize the actor's potential to charm, but it's imperative to point out the irony of a shy geek essayed by Siddhu who is better known as a chocolate boy. Hansika is not just the usual bubbly girl we see in her usual movies, with a little of oomph her acting has matured well and good.

The movie as we said is easy going, but a large number of hiccups in the form of songs does not allow the movie to settle down, as it just stretches the movie and makes it appear like a tortoise trotting now and then. RJ Balaji deserves a special mention for his extended cameo and a bankable debut, he is sure to stay. How heavily is Kollywood depending on Santhanam? His magic wand of humor is just amazing with palpable one liner and gimmicks that make you laugh and laugh and laugh. But for a brief moment, his role is so reminiscent of BEB, OKOK and many more, but who else could have done this role is question to ask ourselves.

The climax is very old formulae revisited, makes you wonder if there could've been a better ending. The songs apart from "Azhagendral" don't leave a hefty mark, so some average composition from Sathya, but the visuals in Japan by Gopi is tidy work indeed.

All in all, a roundup of fun jarring the songs makes TVSK a breezy entertainer from Sundar C's team.

Verdict: Age old winning formula of romantic comedy paves off.

Stars: 3/5

Ambikapathy - should be seen and savored

What is it all about?

Bollywood and its love stories.. here is a new definition of love.. 'Ambikapathy' this Eros International feature which launches the south sensation Dhanush in Bollywood is a brilliantly written, marvelously performed and soulfully sung desi capricious love guide beautifully realized by director Aanand Rai..

We are used to feel good romancers with added dose of bromance thrown in regularly by the tinsel town filmmakers.. 'Ambikapathy' is an unsuspecting welcome surprise which turns from poetic to politics taking the viewers on a journey which witnesses adolescent, obsession, jealously, friendship, ignorance, innocence, faith, love, loss, sacrifice, anger, revenge, guilt all one after the another and hold its 'heart' right at the centre for its recognition as a wonderfully told different love story of Bollywood..

The Story..

Himanshu Sharma as the writer does a marvelous job here.. the story is set on the holy ghats of Ganges Banaras where Kundan (Dhanush) sees Joya (Sonam Kapoor) much before his adolescent and falls in love with her head over heels... Circumstances force Zoya to go to Delhi for further education. A wannabe politician (Abhay Deol) steals her heart... but be aware this is not a run of the mill triangle and just when you expect that now the feel good regular bollywood romancer will take charge.. the writer shocks you with a  twist which can be anything from a political conspiracy to a joke on the so called paper revolutionaries (social media) revolutionaries who jump in the protest without understanding the root cause of the issue.. and the writer manages this difficult task of twining the poetry of love in Banaras to the politics of the so called 'waken' up young souls in the capital Delhi in this new found 'touchy' adage of love which is also blended with attitude..

What to look out for

Aanand Rai and his writer Himanshu Sharma are in song when they take us to Banaras.. the settings, the mood, the atmosphere, the lingo everything is bang on.. Tanu Weds Manu proved that Aanand Rai is a good director... The banaras episodes in 'Ambikapathy' crosses the career bridge for Aanand and brings him to the point where his substantial talent becomes vividly clear.. Anand's narration backed by Himanshu's writing powers gives an utter assurance of a profoundly moving picture in store for us when the love story in Banaras grows and continue to grow.. the moments are highly entertaining, humorous, poetic and yet so simplistic.. Excellent.. as said earlier Himanshu Sharma's dialogues are sheer brilliant piece of writing but those silent moments in the film where everything gets shared with the viewers just by expressions is just magic..

The confidence by which Aanand Rai takes the movie to an unconventional route deserves high praise..Himanshu again supports the cause of his director and we get a pulsating climax which knocks you out of the blue and Vow!! What a way to end.. real Ashiqui.. must say..

Propelled by A.R.Rahman's soulfully soothing scores.. 'Ambikapathy' gets an inspiring lift.. Tu Mun Shudi, Tum Tak, Piya Milenge are highly addictive enhancing the movie watching experience..

Vishal Sinha and Nataraja Subramanian do a beautiful job with their camera which captures the beauty of Banaras and the chaos in Delhi to great effect.. Hemal Kothari editing is crisp..

Production Design by Wasiq Khan and Art Direction by Tariq Umar Khan is up to mark..

Coming to performances Dhanush debut in Bollywood is terrific.. he is a stealer.. those who has seen him are worthy of his talents and 'Ambikapathy' is all set to widen his fan base all over.. this actor is so simple and yet magical.. his comic timings is excellent.. while his emotional rendering on screen is touchy moving.. capturing the viewer right from the first frame till the end.. Dhanush with his brilliance makes us believe that this role was tailored made for him..

Sonam Kapoor is a revelation.. this is her finest performance till date.. Abhay Deol is fantastic..

From the supporting cast Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as the side kick Dhanush friend is the best. He gets some goods lines also.. he is sheer fun.. Swara Bhaskar gets a meaty role and she proves her versatility..

What not

The transformation of Ranjhanaa from poetic to politics is somewhat sudden and looks hurried.. though the sequences prove a point but it takes some extra time of the viewers to digest this sudden revolution in this love story..

Conclusion: 'Ambikapathy' this 140 minutes film strikes a rather unconventional notes of love ordered by Anand, orchestrated by A.R.Rahman's soulful tunes and powered by amazing performances by Dhanush and Sonam.. traveling between love, faith  and loss taking the viewer on a journey that ends with a beautiful final image we rarely see in cinema.

'Ambikapathy' is a movie that should be seen, savored and thoughtfully appreciated.

Rating : 4/5

Nazriya Denies Malayalam Offers

he rising sensation of South Indian film industry is undoubtedly Nazriya Nazim. Only one film old as an adult, Nazriya has become a household name with matchless fame in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The actress debuted in silver screen through ‘Neram’, along side Nivin Pauly, and is currently busy with ‘Raja Rani’, ‘Naiyyandi’ and ‘Thirumanam Ennum Nikkah’ in Tamil and two more films with Nivin in Malayalam.

Now the tinsel town is buzzing that Nazriya has been declining further offers from Mollywood. The reason attributed to this is that Nazriya is first concentrating on becoming a prominent star in Kollywood, and is looking to act with big heroes at the earliest. After achieving the feat, she plans to take a break from here and jump to Mollywood. Young and fresh, the little Nazzy has big plans for her bright future.

TRISHA RULES OUT FRESH RUMORS

Once again, another heroine news turned to be fake one when it comes to this Nandamuri hero’s movie. This is the second time such thing happened and maybe we have to blame pouncing rumour mills for this thing too.

Earlier it happens to be Miss India finalist Erica Fernandez who rejected the very immediate idea of starring in Balakrishna‘s movie. For this latest flick being directed by Boyapati Sreenu, the unit is hunting for a heroine from a long time, but it seems like many girls are not ready to jump into this offer.

Later it was publcizied that both Charmi and petite hot Trisha are finalized as lead ladies by Boyapati. But reacting on this news, Trisha stated that if she signs any new project, she herself will give information about that before the whole world gives. This is a clear indication that she hasn’t signed Balayya-Boyapati movie. At the time when her career is fading, rejecting a big star like Balayya might be a wrong decision.

Anyway, insiders revealed that Boyapati is in touch with many heroines but no one knows who accepted his offer or rejected him. But Trisha’s inclusion in team is a creation of rumour mills but not an actual, the source said.

PRIYAMANI DATING BOLLYWOOD HERO!?

This is a shocking statement for sure for the hardcore fans of our dusky lady who is fading out in Tollywood slowly. However, this ‘date’ thing happened accidentally and here is the full story.

Right now, our dusky siren is expecting a lot to happen in her career with that item song she danced with ecstasy in the upcoming film ‘Chennai Express‘. In this high budgeted  Hindi flick, Priyamani is playing an item girl in a naatu song alongside Bollywood Baadshah Shahrukh Khan.

As the song is getting released to public today, Priyamani thanked Shahrukh Khan on her micro blogging site for giving a chance to ‘date’ with him. Don’t panic, she said the same thing. Later Priyamani corrected her mistake saying that she meant ‘dance’ not ‘date’.

We don’t know how Shahrukh felt, but hardcore fans of the lady who looked at her first statement got admitted to emergency wards for sure.

That’s Priyamani and her dating folks!

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

SINGAM 2 REVIEW

Singam II is a 2013 Tamil action film directed by Hari, a sequel to the successful 2010 film Singam.

Produced by S. Lakshman Kumar, it stars Surya in the title role with Anushka, Hansika Motwani, Vivek and Santhanam in supporting roles.

The film was released on July 5, 2013 along with a Telugu dubbed version titled Yamudu II. A Hindi version, Singham II is scheduled for July 12.

Movie: Singam II
Directed by Hari
Produced by S. Lakshman Kumar
Written: Hari
Star Cast: Surya as Durai Singam, Anushka as Kavya, Hansika Motwani as Sathya, Vivek as Erimalai, Santhanam as Sussa, Danny Sapani as an Danny, Radha Ravi as Duraisingam’s father, Nassar as Mahalingam, Vijayakumar as The Home Minister, Rahman as Thangaraj, Mukesh Rishi as Bhai, Mansoor Ali Khan as Kareem Bhai, Nizhalgal Ravi as Muthumanickam, Thalaivasal Vijay as Selladurai, Manorama as Kavya’s grandmother, Sumithra as Durai Singam’s mother, Janaki Sabesh as Kavya’s mother, Anjali in a special appearance, Rajendran as Sagarayam
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematography: Priyan
Editing: VT Vijayan
Studio: Prince Pictures
Distributed: Prince Pictures (Tamil Nadu), Studio Green (Telugu version)



The sequel hits straight to the core and is racier than its prequel in many parts. When you come up with sequel, the filmmakers and script writers are bound to a tough responsibility of retaining the intensity and depth of its earlier version. Over here, it’s obvious that director Hari excels with his remarkable job.

The film opens with a ‘RECAP MODE’ of Singam 2010 that continues into the undercover mission of Durai Singam (Surya) in Tuticorin. When he gets the picture of conniving acts of Bhai (Mukesh Rishi) and Thangaraj (Rahman) involved in drug peddling, he is back into his shoes of a cop in uniform and sets out to put an end by locking horns with Danny (Danny Sappani), the mafia kingpin.



The makers were in complete zestfulness while affirming that Singam 2 has double the value of its prequel. Yes, it proves to be the same in many parts and what’s more exciting is its racy screenplay. The running length of 2hrs 45mins seems more like a 90-minute flick, which is more of a rarity. It’s more visible that Hari has exerted scrutinising efforts to offer gripping moments in every scene.

To be precise, he has perfectly showcased the unique work style of police force, where brain dominates muscle power. Indeed, there are few scenes to prove the brawny quotient of Surya and they cater to his diehard fans. Not to miss the fight sequence with sickles during the rainy night that thunders with applause and whistle inside theatres. Getting on with other ingredients of comedy, romance, sentiments, etc, they are relatively low when compared with its prequel.



Again, it’s the need of script and if Hari had tried deliberately pushing these elements with over dosage into screenplay, there might have been a drop in pace.

You might not find more combination scenes between Surya and Anushka, but a particular scene, where Surya says, ‘Heart bleeds when eyes get moist and that’s true love’ pays off well to the relationship between Durai Singam and Kavya (Anushka). The first half travel in jet speed with the intermission standing out as a major punch and second half maintains the momentum. One more noteworthy factor is that a proper research has been done on police networking, which is quite evident with few instance like tracing IMEI number, Operation D plan, etc. Okay! Don’t miss the African police surprised by the Indian style of Police – Soda Bottle and slap on the run.



Coming down with performance, it’s Surya exhibiting his overpowering performance throughout the film. Fine! The prequel had a challenging actor Prakash Raj opposite him and this one indeed gets a dyad of this sort – Rahman and Mukesh Rishi. These actors have brilliance presented in their unique style. There is one particular scene, where infuriated Rahman utters a non-stop dialogue inside a lock up room despites heavy chain hitting his back head accidentally.

This is something off-the-wall stroke that any actor would miss to go for and a ton of appreciations for his stunning act. Mukesh Rishi doesn’t get to much score, but is okay with his role. As mentioned earlier, Anushka doesn’t have more scenes with Surya, but retains the same mannerisms as in prequel and kudos to the girl for this. The additional attraction here is Hansika. Trust us! She gets a meaty role and this is the first time you would see in a different avatar. Vivek doesn’t have much to tickle your funny bones, but you’ll have the smile sparkling as you see appears onscreen.

Santhanam mimicking the Christian prayer and Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam stunt is over the top. But what’s little disappointing is we don’t see these comedy icons together. Manorama, Radha Ravi, Nasser, Priya, Nizhalgal Ravi, Thyagu and others from the prequel try to match up here, though they do not have much of prominence here. Prakash Raj’s montage of prequel is a special treat, though it doesn’t for long minutes.



Danny Sappani looks terrific. Vijayakumar’s characterisation as Home Minister gets a vital scope here and is an additional strength to the script.

On the technical front, Devi Sri Prasad gives the right feel to the fast-paced screenplay with his background score. Naturally, the songs belong to different genre among which theme song by Hariharan becomes the showstopper. ‘Kannukulla’ and ‘Singam Dance’ is a special treat for everyone.



Overall, Singam 2 is 100% paisa vasool film. There is a famous quote on films – The drama begins when logic ends. And so is vice-versa, but Hari manages to balance them accordingly and win our praises.

ANNAKODI MOVIE REVIEW

ANNAKODI STORYLINE
Veteran director Bharathiraja is back with Annakodi, his own brand of village-based love-story. The Septuagenarian filmmaker, who is credited with having rewritten the face of Tamil cinema in the seventies with some realistic films, continued to make films set in rural backdrops. Occasionally, he would move away to city-based scripts but his heart and soul always lived in the rural Tamil Nadu. In Annakodi, he has once again  proved beyond doubt that he is the ‘master’ when it comes to narrating rural love stories with nativity.

For Annakodi, Bharathiraja has cast Karthika, daughter of his own protégé Radha, in lead role opposite debutant Lakshman Narayan, who plays Kodiveeran. Bharathiraja’s son Manoj, who was away from films for a long time, makes a comeback playing Sadayan,the villain .

Annakodi and Kodiveeran are madly in love with each other. The former hails from a higher caste while the latter is the son of a shoe-maker, of lower caste. Enters Sadayan, son of a man-eating money-lender, who has eyes cast on Annakodi who snubs him at every meeting. A womanizer, Sadayan preys on others’ wives and makes them succumb to his lust by loaning out money to their husbands who are unable to pay up the interest and principal.

When Kodiveeran’s father meets Annakodi’s mother to talk about marriage of his son and her daughter, the latter gets angry that a lower caste man has dared to seek her daughter’s hand in marriage for his son. The caste-conscious villagers bash up Kodiveeran and his father; with the wily Sadayan’s help, they ensure that Kodiveeran is put behind bars on false charges.

An unexpected accident takes Annakodi’s mother away, leaving her at the disposal of Sadayan from whom the family had taken some loan. Sadayan cleverly manipulates the situation to get Annakodi forcefully married to him so as to settle her family’s ‘loans’. This leaves Kodiveeran heart-broken. Watch the film to find out whether he manages to come out of the jail and rescues his ladylove from the villain.

ANNAKODI SCRIPT ANALYSIS
Bharathiraja, a master story teller, has unfortunately opted for a old story. It is nothing but a triumph of love against a sadistic rich man. The script too has nothing new to offer. The only saving points are Bharathiraja’s nativity and Karthika.

The ‘life’ is missing in the romantic sequences between the lead pair; most of those moments are narrated in flashback. As such, the passionate romance which ought to be an integral part of such romantic stories, has somehow gone missing from the film. The comments from the audiences indicate that the period of such rural romantic stories might well be over. There are many twists and turns in the second half while the first half is rather slow.



PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
Karthika, who debuted in the successful Ko more than two-and-a-half years back, has delivered a stunning performance. Her wide eyes help her express many emotions in one go. She has done full justice to the trust that Bharathiraja kept in her. Here is an actress who looks quite adept in character-driven roles as well as glamour-filled roles.

Debutant Narayan has done his part aptly but can hardly help if the script is rather skewed and the narration weak. Manoj looks perfect as a villain and may have found a new career without him being aware of it. Others have played their respective parts well enough.

G.V. Prakash Kumar’s music is appropriate and some songs are very good but don’t stay in the mind once you emerge from the hall.

The events are rather predictable and so is the flow of the story. The first half moves is very slowly and is somewhat compensated by a more pacy second-half.

POSITIVES
• Karthika’s looks and performance
• Cinematography
• GVP’s songs and background score

NEGATIVES
• Old story and clichéd screenplay
• Overall slowness of the film

TAMANNA TO JOIN “C” LEAGUE?

South Indian actresses are known to have been paid handsome remuneration, and the latest to demand the spike is Tamanna.

From the charming “Paiyaa” to the latest Hindi movie “Himmatwala” the actress has been trotting around the North and South zone with a bunch of movies up her sleeve. And looking at her rise in stardom, apparently the actress has raised her compensation.

As of now, Nayantara, Kajal Agarwal and Anushka are the leading heroines of Tollywood who are in the 1 crore club, and now Tamanna has raised the bar as well. For an upcoming movie in Telugu, the producers approaching Tamanna are in shock in the sudden spike in her salary and also rumored to be looking at the alternatives.

Monday, July 15, 2013

SNEHA TO ROMANCE PRAKASH RAJ

Prakash Raj is one man who stretches his limits constantly. After working in all south Indian languages and getting critical acclaim for his roles in Bollywood, he is now set to play the leading man.

Well, not exactly the typical leading man, but a role that is more suited to his age.

He has bought the rights of the 2011 Malayalam rom-com Salt N Pepper. News is that Prakash Raj now intends to make the film in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada.

The movie is a love story between two generations and focuses on the loneliness that comes from the need of a companion.

As the title suggests, the plot revolves around food and a good dose of romance.

The film will be titled Un Samayal Arayil in Tamil and Ulavacharu Biryani in Telugu. Sneha will be the leading lady in both Tamil and Telugu. The casting and the title for the Kannada version is yet to be finalized.

WHY DIRECTORS LOVE ANUSHKA


The heroines may come across as innocent and love seeking girls onscreen but there are many instances when they showed hell to the directors and producers.

The starry tantrums have become an integral part of many starlet lifestyles. Still, there are always exceptions and the first place in that goes to Anushka.

It is heard that directors simply love Anushka. They say some of her best qualities are she is very down to earth, does not show any strain or tiredness, she is always ready for multiple retakes till the director is convinced and satisfied. Above all, after a hard day’s shoot if that scene is removed she does not complain.

Buzz is that if the entire day’s work has to be redone Anushka will not crib. Whether it is her yoga power which gives her that mental calmness or her basic character, but Anushka is the most admired starlet in this aspect.

The icing on the cake is, she is very generous in terms of skin show and glamour also which makes her an allround favorite.