Tamil Cinema Gossip

Vijay is having much hopes on Nanpan

2011-11-06T04:04:00.000-08:00

Vijay is on cloud nine after his recently released Velayudham has been well-received by the audience. Putting the success behind him, the actor is now looking forward for his next film Nanban, which is a remake of Bollywood movie 3 Idiots.

Talking about his next film, Vijay said that Nanban will give a complete new experience to the audience. Even if they have seen 3 Idiots, the Tamil version will have a different appeal, as it is fresh. And the credit for it undoubtedly goes to director Shankar.

The actor further says that Shankar has made changes to suit the tastes of the Tamil audience. Sharing his work experience with ace filmmaker, Vijay says that he is an amazing director and he has the special ability to bring the best out of any actor. Moreover, he is a good human being.

It may be recalled that Vijay and Shankar were supposed to work in Mudhalvan but it did not happen due to some reasons. However, Nanban, which also features Jeeva, Srikanth, Ileana D’Cruz in the leads, will hit the screens for Pongal, whereas the audio of the movie will be released in December 2011.

"Chennai Girls Never Forget Me" Sarvananth

2011-11-06T04:02:00.000-08:00

Sarvanand is an handsome young actor who had scored well in Engeyum Eppodhum though he didn’t have much dialogues to speak. While speaking to the media said, “All the appreciations that I am getting now should go to director Saravanan. Engeyum Eppodhum is my first success after so many years of hard work. When I was 17 years, I discontinued my B Com in midway and came to act.
There were lots of failures and frustrations. Now after lots of sorrows I have a great consolation now. Many are asking me that how I am able to speak Tamil well since I hail from Andhra Pradesh. I am in Chennai for the last one year and if I don’t speak Tamil, the Chennai girls will not forgive me. Initially it was very difficult to understand Tamil dialogues. Because of this Saravanan did not give many dialogues.

Now I am so popular in Andhra because everybody makes fun of me by saying the dialogue, Anju Ruba Irrukka… I am so happy. This offer came to me unexpectedly. I came to Chennai to see Endhiran. At that time I met Saravanan for an offer. He told me that, he is going to direct a film which has Vimal and Jai in the lead roles and promised that he will give me an opportunity in my next film and sent me back. I was little disappointed at that time.

Adding more Sarvanand said that then all of a sudden he called upon me and told me that there is difficult in getting Vimal’s call sheet and whether I am prepared to act in his role. I was so happy and acted in this film. Many are asking me that whether I am having lots of girl fans. To tell you the truth I am having more girl fans in Chennai than Andhra. If I go to a theatre or shopping malls, the girls shout affectionately addressing me. Well don’t ask me whether I am in love with anyone. There’s no time for me to get into relationships.”

Silk Smitha's family objects the movie dirty pictures

2011-11-06T03:59:00.000-08:00

Silk Smitha was the leading glamour queen who reined the Tamil film industry in the 1980s. She had also acted in Malayalam and Telugu films. In 1996 she died in a mysterious way. Some say she committed suicide because of financial problems while others say that she was murdered and hanged in her apartment in Saligramam.

Now a film is being made based on her life. This film is titled Dirty Pictures. Vidhya Balan has donned the role of Silk Smitha. The shooting of this film is in the final stages. The film is to be completed soon and will be released shortly.

At this juncture, Silk Smitha’s brother Nagavaraprasad has objected to release this film. He has mentioned, “We came to know that a film on Silk Smitha is being made in Hindi through the print and electronic media. But no one has approached to talk about this and also did not get our consent.

So we had sent a legal notice to director Milan and producer Ekta Kapoor asking them to refrain from making this film. But there is no reply from them. Hence we will be sending another legal notice through the High Court Judge. We will have to see the film before its release. The objectionable scenes are to be deleted. Till now we are not aware of the background of the death of our Silk Smitha. We are not expecting any money from the producer. Our family members should not be hurt because of this film.”

Velayutham overtaking 7am Arivu at UK Box office

2011-11-06T03:55:00.000-08:00

Vijay’s Velayudham might be still lagging behind 7aam Arivu at the domestic Box Office but it has already beaten Surya’s prestigious film at the UK Box Office. Jayam Raja directorial movie has collected £66,843 (Approximately Rs 52 lakhs), whereas AR Murugadoss’ film raked in £55,602 (Rs 43 lakhs) in its first weekend.

While Velayudham features in 21st position at the UK Box Office, 7aam Arivu is at 23rd. Vijay starrer movie was released in 17 screens by Ayngaran International and Surya’s multilingual film was released in 19 screens in the UK. However, good reviews and word-of-mouth have helped Jayam Raja’s movie to surpass AR Murugadoss’ movie, claims a trade source.

Velayudham, which stars Vijay, Genelia D’Souza and Hansika Motwani and 7aam Arivu featuring Surya and Shruti Hassan have reportedly crossed the Rs 40 crore mark at the worldwide Box Office in its five-day weekend.

Parvathy Omanakuttan Cutting Cake in Billa 2 Shooting

2011-11-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Ajith's heroine in Billa 2, Parvathy Omanakuttan brought a huge cake to the set after the first schedule for Billa 2 was wrapped up in Goa after 23 days of intense shooting. Ajith asked the director Chakri Toleti to cut the cake and everybody enjoyed the sweet surprise from the former Miss World contestant.

The next leg of the shoot will take place in Georgia, Eastern Europe. Some action scenes will be canned there. There are huge expectations from this film and the team is working hard to deliver the goods.

Maatraan Movie Updates

2011-11-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Suriya, Kajal Agarwal, KV Anand and the rest of the Maatran team were in Latvia for a song shoot. KV Anand who is famous for his gorgeous visuals had chosen this location as it is yet to be discovered by tourists and boasts of an untouched, verdant landscape. The song has come out very well and the team is back in the city.

Harris Jeyaraj is doing the music and S Sounder Rajan is handling the cinematography. Director KV Anand after delivering back to back hits with Ayan and Ko is on a hat trick and all eyes are on Maatran.

Engeyum Eppothum completes 50 days

2011-11-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Engeyum Eppthoum has completed 50 days run at the box office successfully. The film got a massive reception from the audiences due to the fast and crisp screenplay and director's Saravanan's story telling made the film a hit among the masses.

All those associated with Engeyum Eppothum, including director AR Murugadoss, who co-produced the film with Fox Star, director Saravanan, lead stars Jai, Anjali, Sharvanand, and Ananya are happy over the film reaching the landmark 50th day. According to trade sources, the film has grossed about 17 crores since its release.

Finaly Kamal chooses his heroine

2011-11-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

After keeping everyone guessing for a long time, Kamal seems to have decided on his heroine for Viswaroopam and she is Pooja Kumar according to the media. Although there is no official confirmation on it yet, the news has leaked from reliable sources and is considered to be final.

Pooja Kumar is a New York based theatre artist and is a former beauty queen and made her debut years back in Tamil with the movie Kaadhal Rojaave. She was last seen in the Hindi flick Anjaana Anjani.

Superstar's film in Chennai theaters

2011-11-05T03:18:00.000-07:00

One of superstar Rajini's biggest hits in his career is Baasha. This film has been re-released in four screens in Chennai and the amazing response despite heavy rains is something that only Rajni'a filma can evoke.

The film has been screened on TV on numerous occasions and most people would have seen it at least once. In spite of all this, Rajni's charisma never ceases and the response for Basha's re-rlease only reiterates this fact.

A.R. Rahman on a world tour

2011-11-05T03:17:00.000-07:00

Rahman is going on a world tour and this one will be a tribute to salute the diversity in Indian music. The concert is expected to be launched on the 9th of December in Dubai. With the Rahman regular singers, the concert will also see Rahman collaborating with choreographer - director Amy Tinkham and the Superheavy, the global rock group in which he is also a part.

Back home, the maestro's songs for Rockstar are being raved about. They are also slowly becoming a rage with the movie about to be released soon.

Anushka's plans on her birthday

2011-11-05T03:14:00.000-07:00

Another celebrity who shares her birthday with Kamal is Anushka, who hits the 30s club this year on November 7. Among other things she is likely to do on her birthday, Anushka will attend the audio launch of Thulli Ezhunthathu Kadhal (TEK), to be hosted by director Sreehari Nanu and Bhumika Chawla.

Anushka has a special appearance in the movie, which is a remake of Thakita Thakita, a Telugu film. While her marriage is on the cards, Anushka has agreed to do only Selvaraghavan's next film in Tamil. We wish her a happy birthday!

Ajith planning for his photography exhibition

2011-11-05T03:12:00.000-07:00

Ajith, who is known for his interest in motor racing, seems to have developed immense interest in photography. He is seen toting his expensive camera on the sets many times.

“It started a decade back, when I was shooting for my film Dheena. My cinematographer Aravind Kamalanathan lent me his Nikon F2 camera and ever since, I’ve been hooked on to photography,” Ajith was quoted as saying in an interview for one of the newspapers recently. Does he have plans to hold an exhibition of his pictures? He has no immediate plans for that.

Tabu Celebrates her 40th Birthday

2011-11-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

As the National film award winner turns 40 today (4-11-2011), we take you through the actor’s repertoire of memorable performances over the years

Every time she appeared on screen, she convinced us that no one could do the character better than her. Be it a struggling mother who tried hard to deter her kids from entering the hellhole of trafficking in Chandni Bar or stepping into the shoes of a village belle in Virasat, Tabu did it all with absolute ease. She did slip into the world of mindless movies every now and then, but then we forgive her disasters just because of the simple fact that she never looked like the sorts who would rest on her laurels. We witnessed the same amount of passion in every movie she did. Endowing us with some thought provoking performances in movies like Astitva,Cheeni Kum, The Namesake, etc; Tabu aka Tabassum Hashmi struck a chord only because she has always represented reality in her own unique style. Her last film on screen was Toh Baat Pakki which was a major disaster. The actor is apparently busy shooting Life of Pi opposite Irrfan Khan at present. While the actor claims to be busy, we are definitely missing her undiluted magic on the big screen…

Saguni Movie Stills

2011-11-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Saguni is an upcoming movie from Karthi after a break.

Secrets of Saguni

2011-11-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

Karthi-starrer Saguni’s shooting is almost over, say sources in Kollywood. But doubts have risen over the film’s director Shankar Dayal going in for a photo shoot session at the AVM Studios recently. Generally, the photo shoot is done prior to the commencement of the shooting.

It is rumored that Shankar Dayal intends to use these stills for promoting the film. Shankar Dayal apparently does not want to use the stills shot during the shooting because it will leak out the story.

The newbie director has taken up an entirely different storyline and he does not want the media to even make a guess prior to the film’s release. Everything is being kept a top secret about Saguni, say insiders.

Anushka is Preparing for Success

2011-11-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

Anushka

The lanky Anuskha Shetty a.k.a. Anushka is a top actress now both in Tamil and Telugu films. The actress has had a pretty satisfying year in 2011 vis-à-vis her Tamil film market is concerned. She has had a couple of releases and both of them have turned out to be successful ventures.

She first starred in Vaanam, reprising with aplomb the role of a sex-worker she essayed in the film’s original Telugu version Vedam. She then followed up the success of Vaanam with the Vikram-starrer Deivathirumagal directed by Vijay of Madarasapattinam and Kireedom fame. The film, which also had Amala Paul essaying a small but significant role, had Vikram playing the role of a mentally challenged person and was an emotional film which struck an immediate chord with the audiences.

With back-to-back successes in Vaanam and Deivathirumagal, Anushka is quite happy to have found a receptive audience in Tamil for her variety of roles in both the above-said films. No wonder frontline heroes are willing to go any length to get Anushka signed up as their heroines in their upcoming films. If it’s a romantic sequence, Anushka would put on a flooring perfume which would make the hero a happy man.

If the sequence required her to emote and cry, Anushka would prepare herself for the sequence by keeping mum and staying aloof several minutes before the commencement of the shooting of the particular sequence. By doing this, she not only earns the goodwill of heroes and directors but also ensures that they seek her when they hunt for a heroine in their next film(s).

Besides these, the actress who is a also trained yoga instructor, teaches and eggs on her co-stars and heroes to practice yoga to keep fit, both mentally and physically. She also doesn’t mind performing some asanas for the benefit of her co-stars!

Vijay Fans Tonsure for the success of Velayutham

2011-11-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

Around 25 die-hard Vijay fans tonsured their heads as an offering to Lord Murugan at Vadapalani Temple in Chennai for the success of Vijay’s recent release Velayudham. Apart from that they also made a ‘paada yatrai’ from the temple to Kamala theatres to celebrate the success.

Ever since the release of the film, theatres are flooded with Vijay fans to watch their favourite star on screen. Vijay’s powerful punches, electrifying dance sequences, sister sentiment and songs (especially ‘Chillax’ and ‘Sonna Puriyadhu’) make Velayudham a complete entertainer.

And now due to tremendous demand from fans across Tamil Nadu, theatres owners have asked for more prints. The film is produced by Aascar Ravichandran and directed by Jayam Raja.

Vettimaran modified his script for Silambarasan

2011-11-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

It is a general practice for acute technicians to frame the script before venturing into a movie. Vettrimaran is one director who has the magic with him to wield the megaphone for executing success mantra. His first film Pollathavan portrayed Dhanush in a simple family man extending his guts to face the Dadaism. The next film Aadukalam also shot into fame reaping with numerous national awards.

In a way, Vettrimaran’s gesture through his films contradicts his acquaintance with the veteran director BaluMahendra. The latter is known for romance and human psycho analytic elements. But Vettrimaran sets his story on the violent note and comes out with an amicable solution. Currently he has started peeping the camera for refreshing his shoots for Vada Chennai.

The movie will have Simbu, Andrea Jeremiah and Amala Paul in the lead, it is learnt. From the title of the movie, one can easily guess what could be the story line. The area and the locales are known for intentional violence erupting out of personal animosity and ego among the hooligans. Already he has shared moments with GV Prakash for getting some repeat numbers akin Aadukalam.

Maniratman satisfied with Gautham (Karthikès Son)

2011-11-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

For the ace director Mani Ratnam, hunt for heroes and equal scripts always has been a daunting task. If this not happened, then we would not have got Maddy, Siddharth, a la for Tamil movies. His penchant for perfection is ever coming to the foray whenever he involves in a new project.

This was the case with his Roja when he introduced AR Rahman to the music world. His last venture Raavanan yielded no less rewards but has not deterred his mission for next movie. For quite some time he was on the mindset to score with Ponniyin Selvan but could not for reasons unknown.

More than 20 years ago he worked with Navarasa Nayagan Karthik in Mouna Ragam and Agni Natchathiram. These films marked new phenomenon for both Mani and Karthik. Now the same Mani Ratnam is embedding on the current generation face, from Karthik’s blood. Yes, Mani had the screen test for Karthik’s son Gautham ( remember the name of Karthik in Agninatchathiram).

The session went off well with full satisfaction for Mani Ratnam. He felt the face ideal for the script he has in his mind. According to the close sources of the director, the story may evolve from a love angle to be depicted in all new horizons. It is believed that writer Jeyamohan impressed the director with a story and both have made a consensus on the project.

Other cast is to be decided in coming days probably from the artist family like Kamal (Akshara) who is currently assisting her dad in Viswaroopam. Other probable faces are Keerthana ( the girl who scored impression in Mani’s Kannathil Mutthamittal), daughter of Vithagan Parthiban & Actor Radha‘s second daughter. However as per the latest reports, talks with none of the celebrity daughters went fruitful and Maniratnam is still searching for the apt new face for this project.

Mankatha is going to be ramaked in Hindi

2011-11-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

Gnanavel Raja’s production house, Studio Green has obtained the remake rights for Mankatha. They were supposed to release the film at one stage but Sun Pictures made the acquisition then. Now Mankatha is back in their hands and word is that Mankatha is going to Bollywood.

Cast and crew details are yet to be finalized but it is going to be a multi – starrer and the leading actors in Bollywood will be vying for Ajith’s role. Gnanavel Raja has promised to release more details in a couple of weeks.

Ra One sets new records

2011-11-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

Ra One, the Shah Rukh Khan starrer with Rajini in a cameo, has been screened in 87 theatres across Kerala. It is certainly a record because this is the first time a Hindi film is being screened in so many theatres in Kerala.

A press note states:

“We have released only Hindi Ra-One all over Kerala, despite the fact that 40% of Kerala are Tamilians, 50% of Kerala speak fluent Tamil and 70% understand Tamil very well and they enjoy non Malayalam films and as we anticipated the strategy worked well.” Though the Kerala theatres have announced a strike from November 1st, the theatre owners have decided to allow the films that are already being screened. Therefore Ra One will also continue its run, say sources.

Vishal and Thrisha in Samaran

2011-11-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Vishal is all set to begin work on his film Samaran to be directed by Thiru. Trisha is his heroine. The team is currently in Ooty for the first schedule and Vishal will be joining them there today.

Yuvan Shankar Raja is doing the music for the film. He lost his mother Mrs. Jeeva Ilaiyaraja last night and Vishal will stop by to offer his condolences before departing from the city.

Shruthi Hassan opens her heart about her most favorite person

2011-11-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

Shruti Haasan adores her younger sister Akshara and the two are very close. They enjoy each other’s company and like to spend as much time together as possible given their hectic work schedules. Shruti is busy acting in films and Akshara is learning the ropes of film direction.

Recently, Shurti was glad to take a day off and she spent the evening relaxing with her sister. They chilled out by waching tv, eating yummy desserts and catching up on each other’s lives. Shruti’s 7aum Arivu is out and she has also wrapped up her Telugu film, Oh My Friend. She is busy with 3 directed by Aishwarya Dhanush at present. Akshara is assisting dad Kamal Haasan who is directing and starring in Viswaroopam.

Deepavali race Velayutham vs 7am Arivu

2011-11-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

7aum Arivu and Velayutham collections for the first five days have been declared by trade sources. It is said that 7aum Arivu has grossed 40.25 crores from October 25th and Velayutham has grossed 40 crores from October 26th onwards.

Both Suriya and Vijay are excited over these figures because the competition is still neck and neck and looks like this competition will end in a draw. Velayutham has Vijay, Hansika and Genelia in the lead while in 7aum Arivu it is Suriya and Shruti Haasan as the lead pair.

Aishwaryarai Bachan 38th Birthday Celeberations

2011-11-01T04:51:00.000-07:00

It’s again a celebration time for the Bachchan family. After a high profile ‘Godh Bharai’ ceremony and grand Diwali bash, the Bachchan household geared up for another celebration. It's Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's 38th birthday. A majestic party has been arranged at Jalsa to mark the birthday of the Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The diva and mom-to-be Aishwarya turns 38 today and the Bachchan parivar is leaving no stone unturned to make the birthday a memorable one.

It is rumored that hubby Abhishek Bachchan has planned a gala bash later in the evening.

Revealing about the birthday celebrations, sources informs that it is expected to be a grand affair. “The Bachchans are apparently planning to host a get-together in Jalsa today in the evening. Besides close family members, several people from the industry are expected to be present as well,” said a source.

Usually, Ash on her birthday visits temple to seek the blessings of God and this year too she will do the same. A puja will be held by the Bachchan. “However, the Bachchans are quite a regular in these matters, so one never knows,” the insider added.

As her due date is nearing, Ash is not at all conscious but making the best use of her leisure time. She is calm and extremely happy. “She is making the most of this break and enjoying being pampered by her family.”

The baby is due sometime in the second week of November.