Nayan rates went p after billa

After the success of ‘Billa,’ Nayantara’s fee has gone up. Not only in politics, but in cinema too,
one can see overnight transformations. Now Nayantara is being flooded with film offers and high fees.
After breaking up with Simbu, Nayantara concentrated on her career. She became a super hit in telugu films, much to the apprehension of the Telugu heroines. Her Telugu film ‘Lakshmi’ was such a hit that it is being re-made in Tamil.

After her ultra glam role in ‘Billa,’ demand for Nayantara has rocketed and directors are waiting in line to sign up this beauty whose rate has been 25 to 30 lakhs.

One has to make hay when the sun shines, so Nayan is said to have doubled her fees. She is ready to give her call sheet to producers who can cough up 60 to 70 lakhs per film for her.

The old rate holds good only for Dhanush’s ‘Yaardai Nee Mohini’ and Vishal’s ‘Sathyam.’
The fee Nayantara is sdemanding after ‘Billa’ is equal to what it costs to make a low budget film!

Tamil cinema 75th Anniversary

These were the first ever words spoken in a movie, by actor Al Jolson in Warner Brothers' ‘The Jazz Singer’. Four years later, the Tamil film industry carved out a niche for itself, creating a record when a Tamil film broke the silence. The first ‘talkie’ film was H M Reddy's ‘Kalidas’.

From the ancient techniques of shadow play and story telling to speechless black and white films, the Tamil film industry had gone a very long way. But today, sitting comfortably in a cushioned chair watching those big screens at the multiplexes come alive with myriad colours and voices booming out of colossal speakers with DTS effect, the past achievements seem small. Fortunately or unfortunately, the past is very much a part and parcel of the present as is the future. We would not have probably reached this stage had the development and improvisations in the industry not been initiated such a long time ago. The Tamil film industry celebrates this year – 2007- 75 years of its impressive existence.

Speaking of the history of the Tamil film industry, the first movie in Tamil was made by Nataraja R. Mudaliar. He learned the tricks of cinematography at Pune and became the official cinematographer of Lord Curzon’s 1903 durbar. He set up a studio on Miller's Road, Keelpakam with a second hand camera and financial help from S M Dharmalingam. He made ‘Keechaka Vadham’ inter-titled in Tamil, Hindi and English. He made ‘Draupadi Vastrapaharanam’ featuring an Anglo-Indian actress, Marian Hill, as Draupadi. In 1923, his studio was burnt down and his son died, prompting him to retire.

Then came Raja P. K. Sandow (1894-1942). A passionate gymnast, he started his career as a stunt actor in S W Patankara's National Film. He went to Bombay and made silent movies. He became famous by the movie ‘Veer Bhemsean’. Returning to Tamil Nadu, he made many movies based on social reforms. Directing his first film, ‘Anaadhai Penn’, with R Padmanabhan, he embarked on a series of reformist social movies. He made ‘Nandhanar’, the story of an untouchable Hindu Saint. He was the first one to put actors’ names in the movie title. The Tamil Nadu government gives the 'Raja Sandow Award' for best movies, in memory of him.

T P Rajalakshmi was an actress, producer and the first Tamil woman director.

She learnt dance and music and made her stage debut under the tutelage of Sankaradas Swamigal, considered the father of modern Tamil theatre.

In 1936, she directed the movie ‘Miss Kamala’ (based on her first novel) and earned recognition as the first woman director of the Tamil film industry. She also acted in Sandow's ‘Usha Sundari’ and ‘Rajeswari’.

T R Sundaram worked at Angel Films, then took it over and started the Modern Theaters Studio (1937) in Salem. He produced 98 films, including work by Duncan, C V Raman and T R Raghunath. He approached film making with a business-like attitude, importing foreign technicians for his debut ‘Sati Ahalya’ and also produced the first Malayalam sound film, ‘Balan’ (1938). He revolutionised the film industry by producing the first colour film in Tamil, ‘Alibabavum Narpathu Thirudargalum’, starring one of Tamil cinema’s most charismatic actors, M G Ramachandran, and in Malayalam, ‘Kandam Bacha Coat’. In memory of him, the South Indian Chambers Complex is called 'Sundaram Avenue'.

Many a Tamil movie has set the cash counters ringing. Many have churned out ‘masala’ stuff and many others titillated an insatiable audience. But a few movies set the trend for many to follow, the impact on movie makers and the public being equally great. These trendsetters were a result of a good story line combined with brilliant direction and acting. Many such trendsetters were created not by veterans but by greenhorns, graduating from film institutes and farms! When the masses stopped flocking to the theatres, these movies pulled them in by the droves.

The first of these was, of course, ‘Haridas’ which ran for a record 768 days! Following closely was ‘Thyagabhoomi’ of 1939. Directed by K Subrahmanyan, this film was a watershed in the sense that it spoke eloquently about the prevailing social and patriotic scenario. ‘Nam Iruvar’ was screened in 1947. Even today some of the songs of in this film are standard fare on television and radio during occasions of national importance. This film comes down heavily on the evils of black marketeering and lust for money.

Krishnan-Panju-directed ‘Parasakthi’ of 1952 was a controversial and dialogue-laden film that spoke of rationalism. The film showed the hero as a rationalist, having great affection for his sister, almost murdering a priest who tries to molest her inside the precincts of a temple. Like ‘Nam Iruvar’, this film too depicts the rampant black marketeering of the time. M Karunanidhi, the present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, penned the dialogues for this film, which were later released as an audio record. This film stressed the importance of dialogues for a film, and their delivery in an impassioned manner, epitomised by Sivaji Ganesan. It is to be noted that this was Sivaji’s first film, after several encore performances in stage dramas.

Devdas’ in 1953 introduced the concept of tragedy in movies, with the movie doing well in Hindi and Telugu which were filmed after the success of the Tamil version. In 1959, the Kollywood-produced film ‘Veerapandiya Kattabomman’ won the "Best Movie" award at that year's Afro-Asian Festival.

‘Kalyana Parisu’ (1959), director C V Sridhar's debut, introduced a parallel comedy track that sent the audience guffawing. It set a trend by its brand of humour. Shobha’s stellar performance in the Durai directed film ‘Pasi’ (1979) won her a national award for Best Actress. She plays Kuppamma, a rag-picker, mouthing an almost separate dialect of Tamil, contemptuously called 'Madras Tamil'.

Mani Ratnam's ‘Nayagan’ (1987) tells the tale of an underworld don in Mumbai. This film is noteworthy for the way it was crafted Cinematographer P C Sriram and Art director Thotta Tharani added a new dimension to their respective fields. Kamal Haasan’s screen portrayal of the ruthless don won him the country's best actor award and P C Sriram won the national award for cinematography and Thotta Tharani, for art direction.

In the technological aspect, the first film to have used the Dolby system was Kamal Haasan's ‘Kurudhipunal’. Similarly, the first Indian film to have adopted DTS system was Abavanan's ‘Karuppu Roja’. These are just two examples to show the advancements and accomplishments of Tamil films in Indian cinema.

The invention of L D Forrest, Movie tone helped record the sound on the edge of the film. In the recently introduced Super 35 mm technology, sound will be recorded on the image itself. This way, not only will the image have superior clarity, but the sound too would be crystal clear. Selvaraghavan's ‘Pudupettai’ and Kamal's ‘Vettaiyadu Vilayadu’ adopted this Super 35 mm technology.

The laurels the industry has won is too many to list.

‘Malli’, released in 1998, won the Golden Pyramid Best Film award at that year's Cairo International Film Festival, and ‘The Terrorist’ won the same award in 1999. In 2004, ‘Virumandi’ won the Best Asian Movie award.

The 2005 release ‘Raam’ won both Best Musical Score and Best Actor awards at the 2006 Cyprus International Film Festival, and another 2005 release, ‘Navarasa’, won the Angel Independent Spirit Award and Best Supporting Actor awards at the Monaco International Film Festival. Now we have ‘Sivaji’ rocking theatres around the world!

Other memorable movies that made a mark were Rajnikant-starrer ‘Padaiyappa’ which ran for 200 days, grossing Rs 40 crore.

Ramana’, slated to be Vijaykanth’s best performed movie.

Mani Ratnam’s ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’, ‘Ghajini’ starring Suriya, Rajnikant’s ‘Chandramukhi’, Vikram’s ‘Anniyan,’ Kamal’s ‘Vettaiyadu Vilayadu’, K S Ravikumar’s directorial venture and Ajith-starrer ‘Varalaru’, ‘Guru’ by Mani Ratnam and now ‘Sivaji’, starring Rajnikant were all big budget movies that kept the audience glued to the screens.

The average annual film output in the Tamil film industry has risen steadily in the 20th century. The Tamil film industry accounts for approximately 1 per cent of the gross domestic product of Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, the Tamil Nadu government has made provision for entertainment tax exemption for Tamil movies having pure Tamil word(s) in the title.

This is in accordance with Government Order 72 passed on July 22, 2006. The first film to be released after the new order was ‘Unnakkum Ennakum’. The original title had been ‘Something, Something Unakkum, Ennakkum’, a half-English and a-half-Tamil title.

Tamil cinema’s glorious 75 years of existence is being celebrated in a gala manner all over the world with star nights and award functions in Singapore, Malaysia, the UK, US, Japan and many more countries all through this year. The fête kick started on August 6, 2007, in the hometown of the Tamil film industry, Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. With cultural events, competitions, celebrity performances, debates and discussions, star nights and award ceremonies, it would be a year to remember

Kuruvi on location

Vijay and Trisha commenced shooting for Kuruvi in Malaysia lastweek for the shooting of an important song. Almost the entire team that made Ghilli is working on Kuruvi including music director Vidayasagar who has given rocking numbers for Dharani’s films.

Vikram in Amir's direction

It is now certain that Vikram will act in a film directed by Amir.

Vikram is doing 'Kandasamy' directed by Susi Ganesan. After that he may act in a film by K.S.Ravikumar discussions for which are already on. If it becomes certain, Mohan Natarajan's Sri Rajakaliamman Super Films will produce it.

After that Amir will direct a film with Vikram. Amir has already narrated the story to Vikram and obtained his agreement.

Once 'Yogi' is completed, he will direct 'Kannapiran' with Jeyam Ravi. After that will start the film with Amir-Vikram combination.Amir has planned to produce the entire film in Bangkok. Vikram has never acted in a film that was entirely produced abroad. Amir believes that his film will make good that shortcoming.

UTV, the production house that produced Jodha Akbar is believed to produce this film

Kamal's daughter watches 'Dasavataram'

Kamal's daughter Sruthi was thrilled at seeing Kamal in ten roles.Kamal is screening 'Dasavataram' to many in instalments even before completion of the film. Rajnikanth watched some of them too. Kamal has screened it to Chief Minister Karunanidhi also.

The lucky among the lot who has seen the complete film is Devisri Prasad, who is involved in background music.By screening 'Dasavataram' to many, the anticipation level for the film is raising. The last to watch the film was Kamal's daughter Sruthi.

Having seen her father's acting in ten roles, she was thoroughly moved and full of appreciation. But the music album release is getting delayed and Kamal's fans are worried that the release of the film may also get delayed.

Kamna paired with Sibi

Stopping short of asking who Sibi was, people may have even forgotten Sibi's face. It is more than a year that his last film 'Lee' was released. Sibi has no other film on hand. The reasons are many: own production 'Lee' lost heavily; distributors have to be refunded; producers hesitate to feature Sibi in high budget films and so on.

Now that trend has come to an end. Sibi is about star in a film by Viswas Sunder productions. Tomorrow is the film's photo session.

Rajesh, an associate of Suresh Krishna, will direct the film. 'Machakaran' fame Kamna is being paired with Sibi in this film.There is a whisper in Kodambakkam that Rajesh who came to meet Sathyaraj to narrate his story was intercepted and made him do his film with Sibi.

Is it true, Sibi?

Rajini Ajith now Vijay too

Good times have once again commenced for Nayanthara who is in an upbeat mood ever since Billa was declared a hit. Her next project with Dhanush, Yaaradi Nee Mohini is set to hit the screens soon and the lady has been swamped with plum assignments. Earlier she had missed the opportunity to be paired with Ilaya Thalapathy in Kuruvi by a whisker to Trisha. But now she is making up for all the lost offers. She has signed on the dotted line in an unnamed film to be produced by Ayngaran international and directed by Prabhu Deva where Vijay will be the hero. Though she has danced in an item number in Sivakasi, this is the first time that the duo will be coming together as hero and heroine. Meanwhile Nayan’s kitty is full with prestigious offers in the form of Kuselan with super star, Aegan with Ajith and now with Vijay too. The lady’s career is certainly on an enviable path. Good luck Nayan.

Eminent Tamil Writer Sujatha Passes away

Eminent Tamil Writer Sujatha passed away on Feb 27th at the Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. He is said to have suffered a heart attack.

He was 72. He is survived by his wife and two sons.Sujatha, was born in Triplicane, Chennai on 3rd May 1935. After a Bachelors Degree in Physics at St Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli, he completed his engineering in electronics at the Madras Institute of Technology.

It is worth knowing that Sujatha, who's real name is Rangarajan was a classmate of President Abdul Kalam at St Joseph's College. After 14 year stint with Central Government at Delhi, he joined Bharat Electronics at Bangalore.

Sujatha's forte was science fiction writing. He had also written many film scripts and was a regular dialogue writer for directors Shankar and Mani Ratnam.

Shankar's Robot was the next major project on which Sujatha was actively involved.

He is the writer of over 100 novels, close to 200 short stories and many stage plays.
Sujatha's death would be great loss for Tamil literature and Cinema.

Rajini’s movie releases tomorrow!

Sivaji - The Boss didn’t even need subtitles to pull people to the theatres in Mumbai. The magic of Rajinikanth was so empowering. Now the Superstar is set to weave his magic one more time on the people of cosmopolitan, but with his previous movie. Yes, that’s right, now Chandramukhi will be released in Mumbai, in Hindi and the best part is that Rajinikanth himself will be rendering voice. The movie will be released by Dilip Dhanwani of the Royal Film Company with 150 prints. This is a new record for a dubbed movie.

Chandramukhi though based on the Malayalam original, Manichitrathazhu starring Mohanlal, did exceptional business in Kerala. It also broke couple of records in Andhra. The movie ran for close to 900 days at Shanthi theatre in Chennai. Now it is all set to woo the Mumbai cinema fans. In-spite of Bhool Bhulaiyaa, the Akshay starrer, which was again based on Manichitrathazhu running well in the city, distributor Dilip Dhanwani is very confident of the movie’s prospects. Talking to Behindwoods he said, “Rajinikanth is a big brand here. Though the actor has stopped doing Bollywood movies, people remember him for his unique style. I am sure they will come to just see him.”

Surya pairs up with Simran

Simran who was the first heroine of Surya in Nerukku Ner will once again be paired with him in the upcoming Gautham Menon’s Vaaranam Aayiram. This film will feature Surya in four getups and major part of the shooting has been completed. After wrapping up shooting in America and Afghanistan, the crew is in Chennai now. As per the script, Gautham required a former heroine for Surya who will be donning the role of an older getup. Director had approached Simran who was in the midst of her Jaya TV shooting. It is said that Simran was happy with the script and has immediately agreed. Portions of Simran with Surya have been canned swiftly and insiders revealed that the sequences have shaped up well.

Asin's Ghajini Dreams

With over 50 per cent of the film having been completed and three songs shot, the director can’t seem to hide his excitement about the manner in which the film is taking shape.The director has, in a fairly short span, worked with top heroes in Tamil and Telugu such as Vijayakanth, Suriya, Chiranjeevi and now in Hindi with Aamir Khan. He is easily among the more accessible directors in the industry.

Music director A. R. Rahman’s music for the Hindi version of ‘Gajini’ has come out really well, he says.

“I am truly amazed at Aamir Khan’s dedication. His passion comes across evidently. You know he’s thoroughly enjoying himself while at work,” the director says.

Another news which is going around is that Aamir Khan may not be the only top star wooing the audience during the bountiful weekend. News is that Akshay ‘Khiladi’ Kumar, whose movies have become a constant feature during the ‘Eid’ period, is likely to give him company. The series of Akki films that released during the ‘Eid’ period goes something like this- AITRAAZ (2004), GARAM MASALA (2005), JAAN-E-MANN (2006) and BHOOL BHULAIYAA (2007). The current year is likely to see Akshay’s action extravaganza CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA (with hot new sensation Deepika Padukone), release during the festive occasion.

The film has already raised expectations of movie buffs due to several reasons. For Aamir Khan, this film follows his mega hit — the critically-acclaimed ‘Taare Zameen Par.’ Fans would also be more than eager to listen to Rahman’s music after listening to his compositions for ‘Jodhaa Akbar.’ For Murugadoss, too, this project follows Telugu film ‘Stalin’ starring Chiranjeevi.Some scenes are said to have been modified and visually enhanced in the remake, which is expected to hit the cinemas in October.

Quantum of Solace

The name for the newest James Bond film has been announced today. The 22nd film, previously known only as "Bond 22", will be called "Quantum of Solace". EON Productions who are producing the film made the announcement today at Pinewood Studios, where production for the film has been under way since last year.

The name of the film was inspired by a short story (of the same name) from For Your Eyes Only by Bond creator, Ian Fleming.

Next Femole Role in James Bond Film

According to trade paper Variety, Ukranian actress Olga Kurylenko has been cast as the female lead girl in the newest James Bond film, the still untitled Bond 22. According to the official press release, Kurylenko will be playing the role of Camille, who ‘challenges Bond and helps him come to terms with the emotional consequences of Vesper’s betrayal.’

Kurylenko, born in 1979 in Berdyansk, former USSR, recently co-starred in Hitman and with Elijah Wood in a segment for Paris, je t’aime. She began her film career in France in 2005. She received the certificate of excellence award at the 2006 Brooklyn International Film Festival for her performance in L’Annulaire.

So far, it has been reported that Eon Productions was looking for a Latino-style Bond girl. It is not known whether these plans were rejected or whether Kurylenko is going to play a South American character.

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest news and details on Bond 22.

The film will be the second for star Daniel Craig, who first starred in Casino Royale in 2006, taking over from Pierce Brosnan. Producer Michael G. Wilson has previously said that the film will continue "literally an hour after" Casino Royale's conclusion.

Trisha to do a cameo in ‘Vellithirai’

The leading South Indian actress, Trisha, usually does not likes to appear for one song or doing a cameo role in a film. But the actress has accepted to do so in the film ‘Vellithirai’. She does this role for the sake of her friendship with Prakash Raj. She acts her real self in the film, in which she appears as Trisha, whom the hero Prithviraj, who plays the role of a director in the film, meets to narrate a story. However Trisha fears that others would ask her to do a cameo in their films. Trisha has a dream role, which she loves to do that role rather than the cameo. The actress said that she wants to do a role like the one done by Ramya Krishnan in the film ‘Padayappa’ opposite the Superstar Rajinikanth.

Namitha without TOPLESS

Namitha is the hottest actress in Kollywood. She is also well known in Telugu but she has not done many films in Tollywood. She acted with Venkatesh in Gemini but after that she got busy in Tamil films. Namitha is now playing a street dancer in a new Tamil film. She also acted in Billa but Nayanatara overshadowed her completely with her bikini show. Namitha is now acting in English film Maya. The film has been made with a global star cast. Actors from Russia and Canada are playing prominent roles in the film. Namitha has done a nude scene for the film. But keeping in mind the censor rules, she will appear only from the backside without a blouse in the in Indian version. But Namitha's most praised possession are her b***s. As it is not frontal nudity, they will not be on display

Trisha without make-up!

Trisha has recently acted in the film titled ‘Abhiyum Naanum’ with Prakash Raj. The highlight of the film is that Trisha had no make-up in the film. The actress seems to be tired of playing the same old girl characters. Trisha says that she is looking for the characters that are similar to the one she has played for Prakash Raj. Trisha says that she loves Simran’s character in ‘Amrutha’ and would like to play such kind of a character.

Trisha's resolutions

The climax of the film 'Bheema' in which Trisha is portrayed as getting gunned down by a gangster has left Trisha's friends shedding tears. Trisha's defense, that even the hero Vikram acted as dying in the film, has no takers among her friends. Trisha's friends have ordered her affectionately not to act in the films where she is pictured as losing her life. The actress seems to have accepted her friends demand. She has also taken some resolutions like 'A strict no to appear for a single dance in a film', 'Not to pair with newcomers' and 'Not to sign up projects of new producers'. The sources say that all these resolutions are planned to maintain her hard earned fame and status. But Trisha will appear for a single dance in Superstar Rajinikanth's 'Kuselan'. When asked about that the actress says that it is a royal exception.

Trisha to star again with Madhavan

Trisha and Madhavan have already worked together for a movie in the Tamil movie industry and they will be seen together for another movie titled Nee Indri. The lead roles in the movie will be done by Trisha and Madhavan and the movie is going to be directed by Prathap Pothen who is a very well known director in the industry. He was not seen in the movies for a long time but he is now going to direct a movie. Trisha and Madhavan starrer movie was a romantic entertainer and the concept of this movie is not yet revealed. There are lots of expectations as movies directed by Prathap Pothen have always been different and contained a different concept that other directors dare to deal with.

Cold War with them

The Bollywood sex bomb MALLIKA SHERAWAT acts pricey and ignored sonali kulkarni and jiah khan.They two got the taste of Mallikas nakhras recentely.

The actress Mallika was supposed to be in Delhi for a brand endorsement. Here she played pricey with her words.

When she was asked to come on to the stage , Mallika was reluctant to come. But after convincing for a few minutes Mallika had her way to the stage. She decided completely to ignore Sonali kulkarni and Jiah khan, who were already present on the stage. Jiah had to go out of her way to say hi to Mallika because Mallika has pretended that she had not seen her on the stage.

The next thing is very nakhra by Mallika.The Three actresses were asked to light the lamp. But Mallika had decided had she need not want any help. So she lit the lamp and she didnot give any chance to the other two actresses to hold the candle. Once upon a time she was just a star but now an international star. That makes the difference

Jessica alba refuses strip during pregnancy

Hollywood stars like DEMI MOORE, BRITNEY SPERAS, CHRISTINA AUGILERA has posed naked during their pregnancy.

But JESSICA ALBA does not have any plans to get nude during her pregnancy. Many magazines have asked her to pose naked but the actres does not bare it all.

Alba keeps getting phone calls from magazines who want her to pose naked when she is about nearly seven months pregnant. She had three offers on the first day but she is not at all interested in taking any of them.

Jessica thinks that her pregnancy is personal and it is a private thing

Britney to act in new movie

The pop singer BRITNEY SPEARS is going to act in a movie. The movie is named as “Memories of Medicated child”.

The sexy singer is expected to learn the incidents in her life and seeking inspiration from her life in which she had appeared in the court to fight custody battles.

The film is based on a real story on Mark Black who was wrong fully dosed and imprisoned for many years.

Britney will cast opposite ROSS TYLER. Ross plays the lead role. Spears acts as a loyal girl friend of a mis diagnosed mental patient.

The actor Ross is going to play the role of Mark black who is a mis diagnosed mental patient.

Director's complaint against Dhanush's father

Director G.Bupathi Pandiyan has complained against N.Kasturiraja for having sold his story without his knowledge.Beyond professional relationship, Dhanush and Bhupati Pandiyan are good friends. The film 'Thiruvilayadal arambam' was the result of that friendship. That film was a hit.

For transferring the rights of a film in another language, 40% of the proceeds should be given to the producer and director.

But there has been no agreement for 'Thiruvilayadal arambam'. Therefore the producer of the film Kasturiraja has sold the re-make rights in Talugu and pocketed Rs.60 lakhs. Like wise, Rs.10 lakhs for Kannada.On learning this Bhupatiraja got a shock. After all, it was his hard work. So, he has approached the Producers' Council to collect his share of the proceeds.

Thus begins yet another song and dance!

Change of music director in Simbu's film

One would wonder if there were no hassles in Simbu's film.Simbu is acting in 'Silambattam' directed by cinematographer Sarvanan. Shahnakhan is the heroine and music by Dina.

'Kalai' became a flop. 'Kettavan' is dropped. With all these, Simbu is quite serious about 'Silambattam'. He has taken a vow not to give interviews and participate in public functions till the completion of 'Silambattam'.

When the entire Kollywood is wonderstruck at the change in Simbu, an event took place in 'Silambattam' that has belied all that.Suddenly Dina has been replaced by Yuvan Sankar Raja. Yuvan has been composing music for all Simbu's films. Even in 'Silambattam', Dina has been replaced only at the instance of Simbu. Simbu also accepts that.

Truth will come when Dina opens his mouth!

Dasavatharam' function postponed

The song release function was to have been held on March 14th. Suddenly they have postponed it to April 2nd.The IPL Twenty 20 cricket matches start in the month of April. Producers are therefore hesitant to release new films in the month. There is a doubt that the release of 'Dasavatharam' may also be postponed.

To make our doubts come true, the song release function is now postponed to April 2nd. Audiences are, therefore, worried if the film will be released during the second week of April.Participating at the function to be held at Nehru indoor auditorium on April 2nd are Jackie Chan and several film celebrities from Hindi, Malayalam and Telugu cinema. Producer Oscar Ravichandran is putting up a decoration at the venue like that of Hollywood film functions.

This decoration alone is costing around Rs.80 lakhs!

Jostling in Vijay's function

There was unmanageable crowd like a political meeting.

All this happened at the function organized for Vijay.

A mammoth celebration was organized by the Erode district Vijay Narpanimanram along with Youth Narpanimanram. Participating in this, Vijay gave away 10 computers to government schools, beds for patients in hospitals and sewing machines for poor women.Fans arrived from Erode and nearby areas by the droves to see Vijay. At one point, they jumped the barricades and attempted to go near the stage. For some time, there was jostling among the crowd.

Police had to resort to lathi charge and dispersed the crowd. Due to this, Vijay had to leave the stage immediately.

Tension given by the daughter to Kamal

Kamal has stated that he was disturbed by Sruthi's decision.

Kamal has said that his daughter's choice of music and acting were done under his guidance. He has added that he stops with advice and never interferes in the decision.

Kamal has stated that he was disturbed when Sruthi wanted to act. But the way she went about choosing the story has calmed him.

Given the right story, Kamal wants to act along with Sruthi. It would be better if it were a father-daughter story.Kamal has assured that his next film would be 'Marmayogi'. But its launch would take some time.

Discussions are taking place with Hollywood's Walt Disney pictures for producing this film.

Nayantara, the heroine in 'Ekan'

Fans who have been worried sick over who would be Ajith's pair in 'Ekan' has got their answer.
'Ekan' is produced jointly by Karunamurthy and Arun Pandiyan on behalf of Iyengaran International Films. The film with a totally different kind of story is directed by Raju Sundaram who is also in charge of story and screenplay.

As everything for the film including the story is complete, one question that was not decided was the heroine. Having decided to shoot the portion with the heroine later, the crew left for Hong Kong to shoot the portion with Ajith, where the shooting took place for 15 days.A fighting sequence with 'stun ' Siva' and Jackie Chan's assistant was shot there. After that the crew returned to Chennai. The search for the heroine continued and finally the director has finalized with Nayantara. So, following 'Billa' Nayan is paired with Ajith again.

It is planned to shot the song sequences in England, Australia and New Zealand.

Best Director award for Amir Khan

Filmfare Award is considered next only to national awards.
In the Filmfare awards announced for the last year, Kshimit Amin's 'Chak De India' won the best film award and Shah Rukh Khan, the best actor. This film also bagged the best cinematography award.

'Taare zamin par' directed by Amir Khan got the awards for the best director, best story and best child artist.

Kareena Kapoor won the best actor award in 'Jab we met'. Ranbir Kapur and Deepika Padkone have won the best new actor awards for 'Saawariya' and 'Om Shanthi Om' respectively.Best actor special award was given to Tabu for 'Cheeni kum' and Konkona Sen got the best supporting actor award. Rishi Kapoor was given the lifetime achievement award.

Bull fight scene in 'Kandasamy'

Because of unstable political situation in Kenya, director Susi Ganesan moved his shooting to Mexico.
He had gained from the move as he is to direct an Indo-Mexican film in Spanish.
Mexico is famous for bull fights. Losing limb and life is common in this sport. Shooting in Mexico, Susi Ganesan has shot a bull fight for 'Kandasamy.'
Vikram took special training for this. As far as cinema as concerned, Vikram will fight with not only a bull, but with an elephant too.
Keeping Kenya in mind, Susi Ganesan evolved the story of 'Kandasamy.' There are no bull fights there. Since the location has shifted, the bull fight was integrated into the script. With change of location, there is a change in story too.
If so, what's the original story of 'Kandasamy'? No one knows that!

jennifer lopex mom

One of pop music's most closely watched pregnancies has been this pop star's pregnancy. Jennifer Lopez delighted her husband and her fans when she gave birth to twins (a boy and a girl) on Friday. People magazine reported that the babies were born shortly after midnight on New York's Long Island, with the 5-pound, 7-ounce girl arriving first, followed by her 6-pound brother minutes later. Her representative also informed People magazine that: "Jennifer and Marc are delighted, thrilled and over the moon." Lopez andAnthony, 38, married in 2004. The twins are her first children, and his third and fourth.

Robot Shooting Started

Feb 15 a shoot of Rajinikanth- Shankar big budget magnum opus Robot started in Chennai’s AVM A/C Floor with no fanfare or any publicity. It was the first photo shoot for the film by famous Chennai fashion and portfolio photographer G.Venket Ram exclusively focused on superstar Rajinikanth. Remember Rajini did his first ever photo-shoot with Venkat for Sivaji.
The Robot shoot was a hush –hush affair, as Rajinikanth arrived on dot of time in his Chevorlet Tavera, Shankar drove down in his new black BMW car with the trademark registration number 8 and producer Karunamoorthy of Ayngaran International came in his Honda-CRV.
Cameraman Venket Ram had set up his camera and other equipments early in the morning itself. Nearly a dozen wigs were flown in from US by hair dresser Bhanu to be tried out on the superstar who shot in various blazers. The look of Robot is one of the most important aspects of the film.
Shankar and his young team have also roped in an international consultant to give a new look to Rajinikanth as Robot. The final look will emerge after matching the photo shoot pictures with a computer generated look, which will take about a month.
Now that Aishwarya Rai has denied the rumours of her exit from the film as rubbish, the rest of the casting of the film is going on. Three top characters from Tamil have confirmed that they are willing to shoot for the film as and when Shankar wants.
Meanwhile Nirav Shah has decided to quit the project, due to personal reasons. So now, noted cameraman Thiru has been roped into the project.

Action King Plays a Villan Role

We'll never know for sure who's on and who isn't until Shankar decides to make a statement about the cast for his magnum opus Robot!
What we know for sure is that Rajinikanth will play the lead. But who will fit in the heroine's shoes remains to be seen. Even the villain's role and the other supporting characters have not been decided. The longer the silence, the stronger and stranger the assumptions!
The latest to join the winding list of Robot rumour is king of action Arjun, who apparently has been roped in for a pivotal role in the movie.
Will Arjun sport an anti-hero guise? His earlier ventures with Shankar were massive hits. Let's wait and watch

Anjathey Movie Review

Cast : Narain, Prasanna, Vijayalakshmi, Pandiyarajan, Ajmal, Ponvannan, M S Baskar and others
Director / Script : Mysskin
Camera : - Music director : Sundar C Babu
Producer : V. Hitesh Jhabak

Mysskin has delivered another knock-out punch with his Anjathey. The canvass is engaging and thrilling as he is able to bring out the moods, anxieties and sheer dread of the characters due to top of the line performances from his lead actors.
Here is superior quality Tamil cinema as Mysskin's intricately crafted script and the slick execution of every sequences, make the film a treat to watch. The film avoids clichés and smashes stereotypes as it makes its journey from opening credits to the end. But a nail-biting thriller for over three hours… is way too lengthy.The story opens in a police housing colony where Satyavan (Narain) and Kripa Shankar (Ajmal Ameer) both sons of police head constables (M.S.Bhaskar and Livingston) are childhood friends. They are thick friends but totally different in principles and attitude towards life. Satyavan is a happy-go-lucky irresponsible guy who spends time drinking, loitering with friends and getting into petty fights. Kripa on the other hand is serious, soft-spoken and has a big dream to join the police force through hard work and discipline. He is encouraged by his sister Uttara (Vijayalakshmi), who feels that Satya is the only bad influence in his life, as comparisons are made between the two by the residents of the colony.One day Satya is badly humiliated by his dad for spoiling a festival day in the colony when he gets into a fight with Daya (Prasanna) a sinister guy who is running a kidnapping racket with a small time mechanic and mobster Logu (Pandirajan). Satya after this ego deflating act from his dad decides to join the force by using the clout of his uncle, a personal assistant of a powerful minister. Both Kripa and Satya appear for the police Sub-Inspectors (SI) examination, and using his clout Satya is selected while Kripa fails. This triggers the motive and twist in the tale as inevitably Kripa drifts away from his best friend and turns out to be his most bitter foe.Meanwhile after joining the force, there is a gradual transformation in Satya who becomes more human, righteous and duty conscious in his approach to life. He fights the system from within, and soon Uttara secretly starts admiring him as he becomes her role model which irks Kripa. At the same time Daya the cunning psychopath holds the police force to ransom as he kidnaps young girls from rich families for money and also rapes them so that they will remain silent.The police top brass set up an encounter cell under a cop (Ponvannan) to hunt down the kidnappers, and Satya is also drafted into the team. Daya who is now on the run recruits Kripa knowing that he is on a revenge romp whose only aim is to see the fall of his friend. Now it is a cat-and-mouse game between Satya and Daya who uses Kripa as a pawn, leading to a stunning nail biting climax on the outskirts of the city in a sugar cane field.The biggest strength of Anjathey is its perfect casting, as every actor is just right for the role and you couldn’t find better actors to fill out these roles. Mysskin introduces new guys like a one- armed guy called Kuruvi (played by a former stuntman Bomb Ramesh, who lost an arm while shooting an explosion scene for a film) a go-between Satya and Kripa, he is terrific. Prasanna is a revelation as the deadly, charismatic but ruthless and terrifying psychopathic rapist Daya (the weird wig is a minus), Pandirajan without his moustache as the humorous accomplice of Daya is a scream and provides some funny moments. And Ajmal makes a promising debut; he’s clearly an actor to look out for.Vijayalakshmi is here to stay as the sweet and lovable girl next door. Ponvannan, M.S Bhaskar and Livingstone are all aptly cast in supporting roles. Narain is astonishingly agile and lives the role of Satyavan. His drunken act and subtle comedy in the first half, the anguish, frustration and guilt giving way to tears in the second half bring out the actor in him. It is Narain’s show from the first frame to the last, a performance that will remain in your hearts to remember and savor.Technically, the film is top class and exquisitely photographed by Mahesh Muthusamy, using a lot of top angle crane shots with the climax in the sugar cane field being picture perfect. Sunder.C.Babu’s music is peppy especially the first song in the bar Kannadasan … and the title song. To give credit where it’s due, director Mysskin delivers on both style and content and he has not shown any excessive blood and gore scenes in a story of police encounters, rapes, kidnapping and other nefarious activities.If there’s one problem with the film is it’s too long, at 3 hours 10 minutes and as a result, at times taxes the viewers patience especially the long drawn out climax, scenes in the first half to establish the hero being reformed and sentiments injected into the plot. Moreover, it has very few commercial elements and is a bit classy.Despite these minor hiccups, Anjathey is unmissable. It is a sparkling, fresh and innovative film from Mysskin, makes for recommended viewing.

Mayajaal gets a new Look

Mayajaal, one of Chennai’s biggest multiplexes just got bigger. The multiplex will now house four more theatres thus increasing its strength to ten theatres. Located on the East Coast Road, in Kanathur, Mayajaal is also the abode of one of Chennai’s first snow bowling alley and a shopping mall.
The theatres have a seating capacity of 150 and Mayajaal can now hold 7,500 fans in any given day in all the ten theatres. In an event held this evening at 6.30 at the Mayajaal premises, Vikram formally inaugurated the six theatres and a food court recently accommodated in the complex that houses multi-cuisine eateries and outlets. Touted to be one of the biggest in Asia, Mayajaal now also boasts of housing the maximum number of theatres in the city.

Shankar's 'Irettai Suzhi'

In the countryside, the lucky ones are described a shaving 'irettai suzhi.
In that sense, Shankar must also be having irettai sushi, because even the films he produces fare well.
Shankar is at present producing 'Arai Enn 305-il Kadavul' following which he is producing a film to be directed by 'Poi' dialogue writer Thamira. This film is titled
'Irettai Suzhi.'
Thamira's first directorial venture is made with children in mind. Such films are rare, and one could well even say that there are no such films for children in Tamil.
Since it is a children film and also being produced by Shankar's S Pictures, there is a great deal of expectation.

Ajith’s Aegan takes a cue

If you thought the fully loaded weapon van used in Billa is cool, don’t be surprised when we reveal its secret. The entire van has been created using plain mineral water bottles and PVC pipes, the creative brain behind it being art director Milan. He has been receiving accolades from all quarters, let alone from Ajith and the entire crew for making the indoors of Billa look realistically Malaysia. Billa’s outdoor shoots have been canned in the exotic locales of Malaysia, as is known, however, the trendy and plush looking indoors on par with the Malaysian standards were created by Milan in Chennai.
Close on the heels of these impressive credentials, Milan has also managed to bag the contract for art direction for Ajith’s next, Aegan. Directed by Raju Sundaram, the movie is progressing at a supersonic pace.
Milan is an alumnus of the Loyola College Visual Communication Department and was junior to director Vishnu Vardhan during the good old college days. He apprenticed with ace art director Sabu Cyril before taking off on his own.

Ajith or Vikram - Who is the right choice?

After the success of Billa, attempts to remake old hits have become the latest fad in the industry. Discussions are on at various levels to choose the right film which will have a contemporary feel and Kadiresan, producer of Polladavan has obtained the remake rights of super star’s Moondru Mugam which was a blockbuster hit during those times. Now he is in the process of choosing the correct hero for the new venture and is considering Ajith and Vikram.

Currently Kadiresan is producing a film with Dhanush and Vetrimaran and after this venture gets completed, the project of Moondru Mugam will commence if he gets the call sheet of any one of these actors. At this juncture it is interesting to note that Cheeyan had once replied that he would be interested to act in Moondru Mugam if it were to be remade. Perhaps after he completes Kanthaswamy, he may consider this offer. Meanwhile Ajith is also busy in Aegan and fans should wait for a while to know which of their favorite actors will feature in this remake.

Remake"Agni Natchathiram "

Tamil film industry has always witnessed the presence of two powerful actors at various points of time where there would be a dichotomy of their fan base. Initially it was Sivaji and M.G.R followed by Kamal and Rajini, Ajith and Vijay and many such pairs. Though the actors in question have been sharing a perfect bonhomie, it is the fans whose adrenaline levels are always pumped up.In the recent times, it is the actor’s duo of Simbu and Dhanush who have attracted widespread attention related to their off-screen chemistry. They are considered to be two poles from opposite directions and their minute body language in each other’s presence has been blown put of proportion.

Now it has been reported that Prabhu Deva is attempting seriously to bring this couple together for a film which is titled Agni Natchathiram to be produced by Gnanam films. But for the similarity in title with the Mani Rathnam’s film of the same name, the movie bears no resemblance with the original. It has been buzzed in the known circles that Prabhu Deva has 3-4 scripts with the right mix of comedy and action based themes. It may be a serious one like Nerukku Ner or a comedy caper like Guru-Sishyan.

Prabhu Deva had reportedly talked to Simbu who has given the green signal indicating that he and Dhanush have always remained friends and he is open to the idea of sharing screen presence with him. However Prabhu Deva is yet to approach Dhanush on this and in the event of this film getting materialized, it will only be after the dancer/director completes Hindi Pokkiri and a Vijay film.

Child later, 'Robot' important now – Aish

Aishwarya Rai says he has no idea of having a child now.Every time a Rajini film is finalized, without fail, Aishwarya Rai would be approached. She would invariably turn down the offer as she would have no free call sheet. Now that drama has finally come to a close with her accepting to do 'Robot.'

There was a sudden rumour from Mumbai that Aishwarya had backed out of 'Robot' as she was planning to enter motherhood.

In her interview, she refuted the rumour saying the story of 'Robot' was good, she had an important role in it and at present, she had no intention of planning for a baby.

The 'Robot' heroine put an end to gossip with her interview.

Kuchelan' in Hindi

Director Priyadarshan is a smart man.At one time, he re-made his Malayalam films into Hindi and in a short span, made a lot of money.

When P Vasu made 'Chandramukhi' based on 'Manichitrathaazh,' he successfully made its Hindi version with Akshay Kumar.


Now P Vasu is making 'Kadhaparayumbol' into the Tamil 'Kuchelan' with Rajini in the lead. At the same time, Priyadarshan is making it in Hindi.

Shahrukh Khan has agreed to do the superstar's role in Hindi. Priyadarshan is busy appointing the rest of the cast and will start shooting soon for the film.

Trisha in ‘Jab we met’

Jab we met’ starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor was a great hit last year in Bollywood. The film was talked about for its freshness in narration and for the performance of its lead actors. In fact heroine Kareena had bagged many awards for the film. Now this movie will be made in Tamil and Telugu and the remake rights have been purchased by Moser Baer. As ‘Jab we met’ will be made in both these languages, the producers wanted their heroine to be popular in both the languages and they have zeroed in on Trisha

It has been said that Trisha is also very keen to do this film and when contacted she said, “I saw Jab we met and I liked the film a lot. The role of the heroine in this film is on par with the hero. The first half of the film is a hard core comedy while the second half is laden with emotion and sentiment. I am fortunate to get such a character early in my career.” When questioned about her other projects Trisha said that she is doing Radha Mohan’s Abhiyum Naanum and Dharani’s Kuruvi right now. For the role of hero in Jab we met remake, Dhanush has been approached but confirmation is yet to come.

Pyramid Saimira in trouble

Apart from buying distribution rights of films like 'Azhagiya Thamizhmagan' and 'Vel,' Pyramid Saimira is also into film production.
The company has taken more than 100 theatres on lease in Tamilnadu. According to information received, Pyramid Natarajan wants to opt out of the company, ostensibly because of some troubled financial dealings.

One of the measures to be undertaken by Pyramid Saimira was to help out needy producers with grants. Because of the latest developments, there are rumours that this project could be dropped.It's said the company name could be also changed to just Saimira.

We are not lovers, says Nayantara

Poor Nayantara. Looks like controversies like this Malayalee belle. First it was the pictures of her with her ex-beau Simbu doing the rounds on the Net. Then of course, it was the bikini scene in 'Billa'.

Now, the hottest rumours in the Tamil film industry are about her alleged relationship with her co-star Vishal. But this time, Nayantara decided not to keep quite for too long.

She has denied the affair and says it is a figment of imagination.

For now, the Vishal and Nayantara are shooting for 'Salute'.

Box office of this Week

It’s a battle of sorts at the box office between the mighty Bheema and the funny Azhagappan (Indiralogathil Na, if you insist). If that isn’t enough, director Siddique is back with a witty and intelligent movie that could pose a threat to the existing biggies at the box office.

Be that as it may, surf on to find out who took the honors this week.


Cast: Vikram, Trisha, Prakash Raj, Raguvaran
Direction: Linguswamy
Music: Harris Jayaraj
Production: A M Rathnam
Four weeks in the run, Vikram’s bad boy act couldn’t keep the box office sinking lower as weeks go by.

Trade Talk:
With a mammoth budget and plummeting collections in very little time, Bheema might not garner profit for the buyers.

Public Talk:
Glad that Vikram isn’t taking another extended sabbatical for a project.

No. Weeks Completed: 4
No. Shows in Chennai over this weekend: 99
Average Theatre Occupancy over this weekend: 60 %
Collection over this weekend in Chennai: Rs.14,46,678
Total collections in Chennai by end of the fifth weekend: Rs.2.41 Crore

Verdict: Average

Cast: Vadivelu, Suja, Theetha, Rari, Nazar, Shriya
Direction: Thambi Ramiah
Music: Sabesh Murali
Production: Manickam Narayanan
It is amusing to watch Vadivelu’s dim-witted antics on screen, but are we ready yet to hear him deliver sermons on reforming society? That, and an obtuse script hasn’t helped either.

Trade Talk:
Although bashed by most critics, INA’s patronage among the public is not completely dreary with the movie registering more than half-full theatre occupancy in the week.

Public Talk:
Nothing to rave about, but not a let down either.

No. Weeks Completed: 1
No. Shows in Chennai over this weekend: 129
Average Theatre Occupancy over this weekend: 60 %
Collection over this weekend in Chennai: Rs.21,04,287
Total collections in Chennai by end of the second weekend: Rs.87 lakhs

Rajini's take on politics

Whatever Rajini does, he makes news.

He attended the wedding of his assistant's son in Andhra after which he spoke to the press.

For questions fired at him about his new films, spirituality and politics, he answered in his usual style of careful neither here nor there answers.

He said that he was acting in 2 films and that would definitely take a couple of years to complete, so he would not get into politics for the 2 years! What after 2 years? It's all in god's hands!


After 'Robot' is completed, Rajini plans to make a spiritual film like 'Baba.' It would have he sadhus in Himalayasas the central characters, said Rajini.

Would he support Chiranjeevi if he started a political party? "I have not decided anything on that as yet," responded Rajini.

Films with "U" certificate

The Censor Board has given 'U' certificate to 2 films that were expected to get 'A' certificates.


Most of the recent action films have received only 'A' certificate, but Mysskin's 'Anjadhey' has got a 'U.' That's because though it's an action film, there is no violence in it.

KS Adhiyaman's 'Thoondil' has some hot love scenes between Shaam and Divya. There's also a scene where Divya gets all wet as she frolics in the seawater. So it was expected to get an 'A' certificate. Contrary to expectations, the film got a 'U' certificate.
Naren, vijaya lakshmi

'Anjadhey' is to be released on coming 15th and 'Thoondil' on 22nd.

Mozhi remake in Hindi

Nowadays, Tamil stars are making a mark in other languages.

Many of our cinematographers are working in Telugu and Hindi films. There also seems to be a growing regard for our directors in other languages.

Bharatiraja's Hindi film 'Cinema' is to be released soon. Murugadoss is busy with the Hindi remake of 'Ghajini.' After completing 'Aayirathil Oruvan,' Selvaraghavan plans to make a film starring Vivek Oberoi. Gautham Vasudeva Menon also plans to start work soon on a Hindi film.

After completing 'Abhiyum Naanum,' Radha Mohan plans to re-make 'Mozhi' in Hindi. For the first round of talks, he went to Mumbai but the cast has not yet been decided on.